


There Will Be a Way

by thagrrrl79



Series: Stranger Than Fiction [4]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Choking, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Mental Disintegration, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-04
Updated: 2014-11-25
Packaged: 2018-02-11 19:16:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 23
Words: 43,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2079960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thagrrrl79/pseuds/thagrrrl79
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU Sequel to "Incomplete": Weeks after their encounter with the Master, a barely healed Kari is taken, sending the Doctor and Rose on a wild goose chase through time and space to find her. Will they find her? How does Martha fit in? 10/Rose/Martha/OC</p>
<p>Co-written with sss979 (not on AO3 yet; go find her on Teaspoon and An Open Mind and Fanfiction.net)<br/>Beta read by Thanatosx49</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Finally, the third (and final, for now) book in the Stranger!Verse series. There will be little one-offs and shorts after this, not to worry. However, I'm wanting to move on to something slightly different (still within DW). I already have an idea and most of a plan.

He took another sip of the strong, amber liquid and set the glass down on the arm of the chair. He was quite glad it was made of sturdy material or else he would’ve broken it long ago. As it was, his hand ached from the tight grip he had on it, his other drumming furiously on the opposite arm.

The Doctor had been here, on Ri’Ciao and he’d had no idea. No inkling. Forty years of dreaming, plotting ways to end him, and he’d slipped right through his fingers. Worse, he hadn’t even known he’d had him in his grasp.

Growling in anger, Jaxon threw back the last swallow of alcohol before launching the glass against the wall. It hit with a satisfying _crash_ and joined the remains of the three previous victims of his rage on the floor.

He couldn’t blame Kalan for not telling him. Not really. He’d made him Commander for a reason: he trusted him and his judgment. He’d wanted someone who wouldn’t need to come to him for every little decision. Under normal circumstances, with any other prisoner, this wouldn’t have been an issue. Kalan had seen the opportunity to go forward with their plan to assassinate the President and took it.

And how could he be sure it was even the same Doctor? It had been a century since he’d been here last; for what he knew of humans, they didn’t tend to live that long. That was assuming the Doctor _was_ human.

Jaxon stood and made his way to the bar, pouring another drink before sitting back down and staring into the dim light of his quarters. Swirling the glass, he contemplated the conversation he’d had with L’Nay an hour or so prior.

He’d known her planet had been destroyed in a war centuries ago, long before her time. She was descended from a handful of people who saw how futile the war was and fled. Her people passed down stories of the two races that had started the war — the Time Lords and the Daleks — placing the blame on them for the destruction of Unvoss.

Her people seemed to believe the Doctor was a Time Lord, quite possibly the last in existence. If that were the case, then by their beliefs, it would be his responsibility to pay for the crimes of his people against the Unvoss and any other planet destroyed in the war.

She’d come to Jaxon with a proposition: she would help find the Doctor and bring him back to Ri’Ciao if her people were allowed to try him for the destruction of their planet. Once she’d explained how she could help, he’d been hard pressed to turn her down. He had no way to search him out, let alone get him to return. If she had the means…

Sighing, his grip relaxed on the glass slightly and he took a long drink. His mind swirled with all the ways he would make the Doctor pay for the decades of oppression his ‘democracy’ had brought to the people of Ri’Ciao. If he was a Time Lord — whatever that meant — then by what L’Nay had told him, his was an arrogant and selfish people, focused only on what was best for them. This showed in the way he had swooped in and ‘fixed’ their problems all those years ago.

Jaxon’s grip tightened again, this time hearing the glass crack as rage welled in him anew. With a roar, he stood and flung the glass at the same spot the others had met their demise, not bothering this time to empty the contents.

Chest heaving and teeth clenched, breaths coming out in hot bursts, he paced his quarters a few times before punching a wall, leaving a sizeable dent in the reinforced steel.

“I will find you, Doctor, and when I do, you will pay for what you have done to my people. I will have your life and the lives of anyone close to you. This I promise you, Doctor.”


	2. Prologue

The Doctor chuckled as he watched Rose try to unsuccessfully blow her mud-caked bangs out of her face.

“Wouldn’t it be easier to just move it with your hand?”

She glared at him, eyes narrowing more as he beamed down at her, and held up her hands.

“Oh, you mean with my equally mud-caked hands? Yes, because that would be productive.”

Shaking his head, he reached a hand up and brushed her hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear.

“There. Better?”

“Yes, much, ta.”

Taking Rose’s hand, he shot a glance over his shoulder at his other companion, smirking when he noticed she’d finally given up on her shoes.

“How’re you doing back there?”

Kari’s voice dripped with sarcasm as she tried to break the many layers of mud off her arms.

“Oh, I’m doing just great! First time out of the TARDIS in a week and I’m sunburned, covered in bug bites, and have mud in places it shouldn’t be.”

“Then you shouldn’t have gone down that embankment.”

Kari stopped and gave him a look that generally meant she thought he was the thickest alien in the universe.

“The embankment wasn’t the problem, nor was my precarious balance, just in case you were thinking of blaming that next. The _problem_ , Doctor, was that piss-poor excuse of a rope you threw us!”

He stopped and turned, walking backwards a few steps. “That rope was just fine! Made of the strongest Xelaxes hemp, it was.” His eyes darted away, hands shoved in his pockets as he rocked back on his heels. “The tree it was tied to, on the other hand…”

She smirked. “Of course it was.” Laughing she shook her head and turned her arms over. “Mud is apparently good for the skin and might help this burn a bit, so it’s not all bad.”

Returning her smile, he was just spinning back to face the TARDIS in the distance when something caught his awareness. Something wrong. He felt it before he saw it — the blue beam appeared around Kari. But he hardly had a chance to react as her eyes went wide in fear. “Doctor!”

“It’s okay,” he said tensely, one hand up to calm her as the other reached quickly for his screwdriver. “It’s okay; just stay calm.”

Teleportation beam? Where was it _coming_ from? Taking his eyes off of hers for just a second to more closely inspect the glowing energy of the beam, he tried to identify it as she pressed on the wall that suddenly separated them.

“What’s going on? What is this?”

He shook his head slightly as his screwdriver whirred loudly, but told him nothing. “Some kind of…”

But then she was gone. Before he could finish his thought — before he even knew how to finish it — she had disappeared into thin air. Eyes still wide, he lowered his screwdriver and ran a hand through his hair.

“Doctor?” Rose sounded anxious. And she was gripping the sleeve of his coat. “What just happened? Where’d she go?”

He shook his head. He could think of a few possibilities — some worse than others but none of them good.

Rose took a deep breath before smacking her tongue. “Blech! Do you taste that? It’s kind of a… metal.”

“Transmat,” he finally concluded, noticing the clues at the same time she did. “Gives off that metallic taste.”

“Transmat to _where_?”

“No idea.” Turning, he absently took Rose’s hand as he set a quick pace toward the TARDIS. “Good news is that it also gives off a traceable energy signal we should be able to easily follow.”

Fumbling for his key, he cursed as he dropped it before finally getting it in the lock. He strode up the ramp, throwing his coat over a strut with one hand as he reached for the scanner with the other. Inputting the information he’d gleaned with his screwdriver, he was able to find the energy signal. Standing up straight, he cocked an eyebrow.

“Oh, well, now that’s interesting.”

Rose came up beside him and peered at the scanner.

“What is?”

“This energy signature. It matches the one from when we were knocked out of the Vortex a few weeks ago, trapping us on that refugee planet.”

She frowned up at him. “You think it’s the same people?”

He nodded. “It’s likely. Same primitive technology; probably don’t even know how to properly use it. Shouldn’t take too much to trace it and find Kari.”

The Doctor immediately set coordinates for the origin of the signal. Then he threw the hand brake, lurching them into flight. Rose looked up at him as she hung on to the console, her nose crinkled in confusion.

“What I don’t get is _why_ someone would take Kari. Not like she’s made any enemies. None that I’m aware of, anyway.”

The Doctor shrugged as he simultaneously pushed the air pump and hammered on an abstinent switch.

“My guess is that they were after me and missed. Another sign they don’t know how to use their equipment.” Reaching around the console, he held down a button with one hand, pointed to another for Rose to press, and held a gauge in place with his foot. “In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if they took her out of the wrong time stream.”

Rose held the button down while carefully moving a lever up. The Doctor grinned; he hadn’t told her to do it; she just _knew_.

“What does that mean?”

“That means, Rose Tyler,” he said as he threw the final lever, barely catching himself on the console as the TARDIS slammed down, causing him to frown up at the rotor slightly. “That whatever caused someone to come after me hasn’t happened yet.”

~*~&~*~

Kari fell to the floor, breath knocked out of her, as the blue force field released her. Fighting the urge to vomit, she slowly opened her eyes, coming face-to-face with a murky reflection of herself in the floor. Carefully moving her muddy hair out of her face, she chanced a glance up and was met by several sets of boot-clad feet.

“Get up!” a voice barked behind her as she was kicked in the ass.

Slowly, she got to her feet, surveying her surroundings as she did. Fifteen guards, all with guns trained on her, formed a semi-circle in front of her, making what otherwise appeared to be a decent sized room rather cramped. The hum of some sort of electronics sent a slight vibration through the cold, metal floor to her bare feet and up her body.

A throat cleared, bringing Kari’s attention to a tall, imposing man with a slight purple tint to his skin. It didn’t take much to realize he’d been the one to kick her and bark the order. She watched him carefully as he circled her.

“Who are you?”

“Kari. You?”

“Kalan.”

She glanced around the room, trying very much to hide her fear. “Where am I?”

“You don’t know?”

Sensing mild amusement from Kalan, Kari made her eyes meet his, following him as he continued a circuit around her, hands clasped behind his back.

“Should I?”

“Are you an associate of the Doctor?”

She gasped, almost inaudibly, but not enough for Kalan to have missed it. Her entire body tensed as he stopped in front of her, towering. A slow, terrifying smile started to creep across his face, revealing what appeared to be incredibly sharp teeth.

“You are, aren’t you?”

Swallowing, Kari clenched her fists to try to keep from trembling, although she knew her panic was written all over her face.

“Wh…why do you want to know?”

Kalan reached a hand up, gently stroking the backs of his fingers down her mud-caked face, causing her to flinch.

“That, my dear Kari, would be telling.”

~*~&~*~

Rose looked up at the hospital and frowned. “Why would she be in a hospital in my time?”

The Doctor shrugged and took her hand as he started walking toward the front door.

“Only one way to find out. Come on.”

As soon as they entered the building, the Doctor clutched his side and doubled over in apparent pain. Surprised by this sudden turn, Rose grabbed his arm and tried to get him to look at her.

“Doctor, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”

He glanced up at her, smiled and winked, before continuing with his little show. Panic turned into curiosity as she stepped out of the way of the orderlies. One of them approached her, clipboard in hand.

“Is this your husband, ma’am?”

Her eyes darted toward him, trying not to laugh as he howled and writhed in pain. She had no idea he was such a good actor. Nodding, she looked back at the waiting nurse.

“Yeah, he’s my husband.”

“Name?”

“Mine or his?”

“His, ma’am.”

She nodded again, her brain going over his various aliases. “Right. John Tyler. Doctor John Tyler.”

The nurse’s eyes flicked up from the clipboard. “He’s a doctor?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“What kind of doctor?”

Rose swallowed. “What kind? Oh, um, a sciency one, I suppose.”

The nurse’s eyebrow quirked before going back to the clipboard. “Right. Age?”

“Thirty-five?”

“You don’t know how old your husband is?”

Rose shrugged. _Well, he_ says _he’s 903_ , she thought. “We don’t really keep track.”

“Alright. How long has he been complaining of pain?”

_Oh, about a minute or two._ “Hour or so.”

“History of illness, any major surgeries, allergies to medications?”

_Does regeneration count as major surgery?_ Rose shook her head. “No, not that I’m aware of. Oh! He’s allergic to aspirin.”

The nurse looked up and smiled as she slid her pen in her pocket. “No aspirin. Got it. We’ll get any other information we need once we get him stabilized. Now if you’ll just follow me, Mrs. Tyler, I’ll take you back to A&E where you can wait with your husband.”

“Please, call me Rose.”


	3. Chapter 3

“Enter.”

Jaxon looked up from his desk as his commander entered his office, an emotionless mask on his face. Stopping in front of his desk, Kalan gave a short nod.

“Sir.”

“Kalan. Please, have a seat.” He nodded toward a chair, noting the other man’s slight hesitance before sitting. Jaxon leaned back in his chair and folded his hands on the desk. “Do you have good news for me?”

“I have news for you, though I don’t know how good it is.” 

Jaxon raised a brow, encouraging Kalan to continue. 

“The Unvoss retrieved someone, but it’s not the Doctor. We think she may have been with him when she was taken.”

“Is she one of the two female companions he had with him?”

Kalan shook his head. “No, sir. None of the people who saw them recognize her.”

Jaxon nodded. “Have you questioned her yet?”

“Not yet, sir. We’re holding her in Interrogation Room Alpha, awaiting your orders.”

“Question her. Find out when and where she was when the Unvoss took her.”

Kalan raised a brow. “When, sir?”

“Yes, when, Kalan. The Doctor is a time traveler; we need to know when just as much as where he is if we are to find him.”

The other man nodded, albeit unsurely. “Very well, sir. Anything else?”

Jaxon rested his elbows on the arms of his chair, templing his fingers. “Find out everything you can about the Doctor. _Everything_. By any means necessary.” He met Kalan’s eyes, holding them for a beat. “Is that perfectly clear, Commander?”

Kalan nodded as he stood. “Absolutely, sir.”

“Good. You are dismissed. Report back with any and all information she gives you.”

Giving another nod, Kalan turned on his heel and exited the office. Jaxon stared after him for a while, tapping his fingers against his mouth. Yet another female associate. He wondered if it was the same one who’d been with him all those years ago, the one who helped bring about their people’s demise. Oh, that would be delightful! Even if she couldn’t lead them to the Doctor, he’d surely come looking for her. And when he did…

A sick grin formed on Jaxon’s face as he contemplated all the ways he would make the Doctor suffer for his crimes. A hundred years was a long time to account for.

~*~&~*~

The Doctor strained his neck, making sure the coast was clear before hopping out of bed. Digging in his coat pocket, he smiled as he pulled out his sonic. Kissing it, he climbed back in bed before he was spotted. He was so caught up in changing the settings that he didn’t hear Rose come in the cubicle.

“Just what the hell are you doing?” she hissed, closing the curtain roughly.

He looked up at her, confused. “What do you mean? I thought it was obvious.”

“Well, it’s not to me, so start explaining.”

He sighed. “The signal is coming from the hospital, Rose. Best way to figure out where and why is to find a way to stay for a while.”

“So you got yourself admitted? Do you really think that’s such a good idea?”

Pushing the button on the sonic, he squinted as he read the results. Not taking his eyes off of them, he snapped his fingers and waved toward his clothes.

“Could you get my glasses for me, Rose?”

She puffed out an exasperated breath as she dug through his coat. “Why? It’s not like you need them.” She handed them to him, an eyebrow raised.

Taking them, he pushed them up his nose and continued studying the readings.

“Maybe not, but they help me think.” He smiled, looking up at her over said glasses. “Besides, I know you think they’re sexy.”

Rose’s eyes went wide as a blush covered her face, ears, and neck. He chuckled as she sputtered.

“You…they…” she folded her arms over her chest, defiant. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

His smile broadened and he winked before going back to the readings.

“Looks like we’ll be here a while. The signal is incredibly weak and seems to be the whole hospital. Need to stick around and monitor it.”

Rolling her eyes, Rose flopped down in a chair. “Lovely. Hanging about in A&E with a barmy Time Lord. It’s like a dream come true.”

“Your barmy Time Lord _husband_.” He laughed as her eyes went wide again, the blush returning and deepening. “Oh yes, I heard that whole exchange. I understand I took your surname. How modern of us.”

“Quite.” Propping her feet on his bed, she gave a resigned sigh and glanced toward his clothes. “Any chance you got a crossword in there?”

~*~&~*~

Kalan sat across the table from the human prisoner, arms crossed over his chest as he studied her. He raised a brow as she fidgeted in her seat.

“Is there a problem?”

She glared at him. “You mean other than the fact I’m handcuffed to a chair and have no idea why?”

He smirked. “Yes, I do mean other than that.”

“If you must know, this isn’t exactly the most comfortable chair in the universe.” She grimaced as she shifted again. “I keep sticking to it.”

He raised his eyebrows slightly as he quickly ran his eyes down her body. When they met hers again, he was amused to see her staring at him in mild disgust.

“I’m not that familiar with humans, but I’m fairly certain they don’t normally go around in their undergarments and covered in mud.”

Her eyes narrowed as she huffed a short breath through her nose. He was slightly surprised it hadn’t come out as steam.

“They’re not my undergarments, it’s a swimsuit. I’d been having quite a lovely day out when you up and swiped me. Now, if you’re done ogling me, could you please explain just what the hell I’m doing here?”

Any amount of amusement faded as he leaned forward. She finally stilled as his eyes drilled into hers.

“Where and when did we pick you up from, Kari?”

Blinking, her eyes seemed to go out of focus as she sat back in her chair, slowly shaking her head.

“I don’t know.”

“Yes, you do.”

Kari’s eyes came into focus and a look of fear flashed across her face as she looked at him. He got the sense the fear had nothing to do with him or the handcuffs.

“No, I don’t. I honestly have no idea where or when I was.”

He frowned, confused. “How can you not know? Do you make it a habit of randomly landing on unknown planets in unknown times?”

She gave a short laugh as her focus shifted to somewhere over his shoulder.

“Actually, yeah, all the time. Part of the fun of it.” She was silent for a moment before frowning and meeting his gaze again. “Wait a minute. You keep asking when. When I was. What do you know about that?”

His smile returned as he leaned back in his chair, tilting his head slightly.

“I don’t, really. We barely have space travel. However, I’ve been led to believe that asking _when_ is just as important as _where_ when it comes to the Doctor and his associates.”

Kari searched him for a moment, obviously wary. She’d clearly been trained to speak as little as possible about the Doctor and his actions.

“Like I said, I don’t know when or where I was when you took me.”

Kalan drummed his fingers on the table, studying her. He sighed.

“Fine, let’s pretend for a moment that I believe you. Can you tell me who you were with?”

“Yes.”

“Will you?”

“No.”

Leaning on the table, he laced his fingers together,

“And why’s that?”

She leaned forward as far as she could, holding his gaze. “Are you going to tell me just what the fuck I’m doing here? And where the hell _here_ is? And why?”

Leaning back, Kalan scrubbed his hands down his face. If he wanted to get anything out of her willingly, he was going to have to give her something.

“You’re on Ri’Ciao. You’re here because of a…miscalculation in attempting to retrieve someone we believe is responsible for a murder. I am trying to establish if you’re associated with this person, and, if so, how to find them.”

Seeming to accept this, she nodded and sat back. “And you think that person is the Doctor.”

“Yes. Can you help us find him? _Will_ you?”

“No, Kalan, I can’t, even if I wanted to, which I don’t. Like I said, I have no idea when or where I was when you took me. A fact that, quite frankly, terrifies me more than anything you could do to me.”

He gave a short, humorless laugh. “Oh, I wouldn’t bet on it.”


	4. Chapter 4

“…a visit from psychiatric.”

Rose smiled and shook her head as she sipped what felt like her hundredth cup of awful hospital coffee.

“What’d you say this time to make the staff think you’re a nutter?” she asked as she sat beside the Doctor.

He shrugged. “I was just telling them about when I helped Franklin ‘discover’ electricity with that bleeding kite and got myself electrocuted.”

She nodded knowingly. “Yup, that’d do it.”

He looked passed her in the direction the students had gone. “One of them said something odd.”

“ _You_ think one of them said something odd?” She leaned forward, tongue caught between her teeth. “Do tell.”

The Doctor’s eyes narrowed at her slightly before continuing. “Said I ran up to her on the street this morning and took my tie off. I wasn’t out running about without my knowledge was I?”

Rose laughed and shook her head, sitting back. “Not that I’m aware of.”

“See. Odd.”

Opening her mouth to respond, she closed it in favor of turning to see what the commotion was behind her. Someone was going on about the rain. Glancing at the window, she noticed it didn’t seem right. Frowning, she set her coffee down and went to look.

“It’s raining up,” she whispered to herself.

Suddenly, the building started to shake and move, almost like it was being moved. With the skill of a well-seasoned TARDIS traveler, Rose clutched onto the window sill and braced herself, barely keeping herself upright. She watched in awe as the building was surrounded by blue coils before being knocked violently to the floor.

Moaning in pain, she rubbed the back of her head as she sat up, taking the Doctor’s proffered hand and allowing him to pull her to her feet. Hands clasped, they walked to the window together and stared out.

“We’re on the moon.”

He nodded. “We’re on the moon.” He looked down at himself, clicking his tongue. “I’m going to change. No way I’m going to battle aliens in my jimjams again.”

Nodding absently, Rose continued staring out the window, breathless from the beauty of the Earth from this vantage point.

She was snapped out of her reverie by the panic all around her. Instincts kicking in, she began trying to calm patients and staff.

“It’s okay; we’re safe.”

A woman — one of the students — grabbed her by the front of her shirt, eyes wide with fear.

“How do you know we’re safe? We’re on the bloody moon!”

Rose smiled and carefully extracted herself from the frantic woman.

“I know we’re on the moon. Panicking isn’t going to change that. We need to keep calm.”

Much to Rose’s annoyance, the student crumpled at her feet, hugging her legs and sobbing. Shaking her head, Rose absently stroked the woman’s hair as she surveyed the room. Most everyone was a sobbing mess. Everyone but the Doctor, one of the other students, and herself. _Well_ , Rose thought, _at least not everyone’s gone off their rocker._

The Doctor walked up to her, shoving his hands in his pockets as he frowned down at the sobbing woman still clinging to her. He nodded toward her.

“Who’s your friend?”

Rose sighed. “No idea.” She looked in the direction of the other student standing slightly behind him. “And yours?”

He looked over his shoulder. “Oh, I have no idea.” He turned and smiled, extending his hand to the other woman. “How do you do? I’m the Doctor and this is Rose Tyler. And you are?”

The woman frowned slightly as she shook their hands. “Martha Jones. Nice to meet you, Doctor Tyler.”

He put his hand back in his pocket and shook his head. “Just the Doctor.”

Martha raised an eyebrow. “Just the Doctor?”

“Yep. That’s me!”

She exchanged a look with Rose, who just shrugged. Martha looked him up and down.

“Right, well, excuse me of I don’t call you that right off the bat. That’s a title that’s earned.”

Rose sucked her lips in, barely able to keep herself from laughing as the Doctor frowned in confusion. He wasn’t used to people not simply calling him Doctor. It always amused her when they fought him on it.

Taking a deep breath, the Doctor puffed out his cheeks before blowing it out and turning back to Rose.

“We’re heading to the balcony to see what we’re actually dealing with. Care to join us?”

She glanced down at the woman at her feet. She’d thankfully let go of Rose’s legs, but she was still a sobbing ball of uselessness. She sighed and looked back up at the him.

“No, I think I’ll be of more use out here.”

Smiling, he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, startling her. “Suit yourself, wifey, just be careful.”

She gave a snort of laughter. “You too, husband.” She watched them walk out, shouting after them. “And don’t ever call me ‘wifey’ again!”

~*~&~*~

Jaxon sneered as guards pushed Kari to her knees in front of him. He hated humans; they were primitive and barbaric. This one seemed to be dressed in nothing but her underwear and covered in filth. He shuddered. Mongrels.

Standing from his chair, he slowly made his way toward her, circling her, amused and pleased by her bowed head. At least she knew her place; few prisoners did. After making two full circuits around her, he nudged her shoulder with his boot.

“Look at me, girl. We have much to discuss and I refuse to talk to the top of your head.”

Kari looked up at him, meeting his eyes, a look of hatred and defiance behind them. That would be dealt with soon enough.

“I understand you know the Doctor. Where is he?”

She sighed, annoyance dripping from every syllable as she spoke.

“I don’t know. I didn’t know when I got here. I didn’t know when Kalan interrogated me. And I sure as hell don’t know now.”

Jaxon’s eyes narrowed at her blatant insolence. He’d assumed by her apparent supplication that she knew her place, but he was finding out quite quickly how wrong he was. Not taking his eyes off of her, he reached a hand out to one of the guards.

“Give me your gun.”

Kari’s eyes widened with the appropriate amount of fear and horror has he pressed the barrel to her head. He smiled wide, letting her see _all_ of his teeth, taking great pleasure in seeing the shimmer of sweat forming on her brow.

“Now, I’m going to ask you again.” He pressed the barrel further into her forehead, a snarl forming on his lips. “Where is the Doctor?”

Trembling, she shook her head as tears started to streak down her mud-caked face. “I don’t know! I swear I don’t know!”

With a growl, Jaxon pulled the gun back and brought the handle down hard against her temple, knocking her to the floor, unconscious. He thrust the weapon back at the guard.

“Take her to the chamber and strap her in.” He gagged as the horrifying scent of human blood hit his nose. “Ugh. And get someone in here to clean up this mess immediately. Her filth was bad enough, but I will not have her blood staining my immaculate floor.”

Waiting only long enough for the guards to acknowledge his order, he spun on his heel, in search of something to wash the stink of human out of his nose.

~*~&~*~

Rose stood and stretched as she looked up and down the hallway. It was lined with patients and staff passing oxygen masks between them. She was thankful — and not for the first time — for her respiratory bypass. That and adrenaline should keep her going for a while.

She was jostled out of her thoughts as the odd men in all leather and motorcycle helmets pushed passed her, followed closely by Mrs. Finnegan.

“Oi! Watch it!”

Mrs. Finnegan turned and smiled. “Sorry, dear, but my boys are ever so thirsty. I’m sure you understand.”

Rose frowned as the trio disappeared into the administrator’s office. Curious, she followed to see what they were up to. Hiding behind the door, she heard Mrs. Finnegan say something about assimilating and being thirsty. Chancing a peak, she watched in horror as the woman produced a straw from her purse, jamming it into Mister Stoker’s neck as the two men held him down.

Ducking back, her mind raced as she tried to figure out what to do. Should she find the Doctor? She had no idea where he was and what if those weird rhino things found her first?

Slipping back out into the hall, she saw a patient wandering dazedly. Her eyes flicked to the ‘X’ on the back of his hand. Smiling, she approached him.

“Excuse me, but what’s the ‘X’ on your hand for?”

He looked down at it for a moment, almost like he wasn’t sure how his hand got there, let alone the ‘X.’ He frowned.

“It’s how the space rhinos are cataloguing us, I think. Shows we’re human.”

“Ta.”

Casting about, Rose ducked into another office and rifled through drawers.

“Come on, come on. Where is it?” Throwing papers all over, she smiled triumphantly as she pulled out a black marker. “Ha! Knew there had to be one in here somewhere.”

Yanking the cap off with her teeth, she placed a large ‘X’ on her hand. Holding it out in front of her, she tilted her head and smiled.

“There, I’m human again, albeit temporarily.”

Heading back into the hallway, she had to take a step back before being bowled over by Martha as she ran by, one of the leather-clad men hot on her heels. She was considering following her when she saw Mrs. Finnegan sneak off in another direction with the other leather man. Mind made up, she turned in the direction of the blood-sucker.

Turning a corner, Rose ran smack into one of the rhinos, causing her to stumble back slightly.

“Oh, sorry about that. Just trying to find my husband.”

Her eyes went wide as it took out what looked like a scanner-slash-marker.

“Prepare to be catalogued.”

Rose held up her hand. “You already got me, mate. See?”

It looked at her hand before looking back to her.

“You are correct. You may proceed.”

She grinned. “Cheers!”

Squeezing past, she barely caught sight of Mrs. Finnegan before she slipped into the MRI room. Casting about for any sign of the Doctor, she made to follow the woman.

Rose stood outside the door, trying to figure out what she was going to do. Squaring her shoulders, she took a deep breath as she pushed through the doors, opting for the ‘wing it’ option. It usually worked out for her. Occasionally. Okay, rarely, but those rare times were really good ones! God, even her thoughts sounded like the Doctor now.

She stumbled into the room, eyes wide, breathless.

“Giant rhinos! In the hospital! Have you ever seen such a thing?”

The woman behind the glass barely chanced a glance at Rose as she continued making adjustments.

“And we’re on the moon! Of all things. We only came in here because my husband was having pains in his side. Thought it might be appendicitis. Ended up just being a bit of gas. Always said he was full of hot air.”

Rose cast a nervous glance at the MRI as it crackled and sparked with electricity, jumping slightly as a bit of blue lightening lashed toward her.

“Say, uh, I don’t think it’s supposed to do that.”

Mrs. Finnegan smiled pleasantly as she looked up at Rose. “Not normally, dear, but I require it for my needs.”

Rose’s eyebrows shot up. “Your needs? Blimey! What needs are those?”

The older woman waved a dismissive hand. “That’s no concern of yours.”

“Maybe not, but I’m sure those rhinos would be pretty concerned. Might interfere with their search. They’ve upped their scans as it is.”

A brief look of concern flashed across Mrs. Finnegan’s face. She nodded to someone behind Rose.

“Hold her.”

Rose struggled as one of the leather men restrained her arms. How’d she forgotten he was in here, too? Her eyes widened in horror at the bloody straw in Mrs. Finnegan’s hand.

“What’re you doing?”

An evil smile spread across the woman’s face.

“Well, dear, if they’re upping their scans, I need to assimilate again. Can’t have them finding me, now can I?”

Rose flinched as the straw was jammed into her neck. Her last thought as she lost consciousness was that Mrs. Finnegan was going to be very sorry when she got scanned again.


	5. Chapter 5

Hands clasped behind his back, Kalan stood silent against the back wall of the observation room. His eyes were trained on the limp, unconscious form of Kari as guards strapped her into the chair. Once secured, technicians stepped in, carefully cleaning away mud and blood before affixing the pads to her temples.

His eyes drifted to that of their fearless leader, Jaxon, who’d ordered the mind probe, not satisfied with her denial of the whereabouts of the Doctor. He watched as Jaxon looked through the two-way glass, standing much like himself, albeit less rigid; more relaxed. Kalan could see the man’s reflection; a sick smile had formed on his face, almost as if he were enjoying the pain he was about to put Kari through.

Movement on the other side of the glass caused him to look back to the human prisoner. He sucked in a breath as he saw her regain consciousness, moaning and struggling against her restraints. He’d hoped she’d stay out the whole time.

Jaxon pressed a button on a nearby control panel, opening up the two-way comms unit.

“Do stay still, child. It will hurt less if you don’t fight it.”

Kari looked up at the glass, glaring, anger and hatred flashing through her eyes.

“What the fuck are you doing to me?” She yanked more on her cuffs. “Let me go! I’ve told you I don’t know anything.”

“Now, we both know that’s not true, dear.” Much to Kalan’s surprise, Jaxon’s smile grew, his eyes practically sparkling with anticipation. “Not knowing the whereabouts of the Doctor doesn’t mean you don’t know anything. As you seem to be unwilling to give us any information, we’re just going to take it. I do hope that’s alright.”

Not waiting for an answer — an emphatic ‘No!’ — Jaxon gave a short nod to the waiting technicians. Within seconds of them flipping the switch, screams of pain echoed off the metal walls of the small room.

A lump formed in Kalan’s throat as he watched Kari’s back arch out wildly, blood dripping from her hands where her nails dug in. Fresh blood covered dried as the electricity they shot through her head aggravated the previous wound.

As quickly as it started, it stopped and her entire body went limp again but for the occasional spasm. Once she’d completely calmed, Jaxon moved to the monitors that displayed her most recent memories.

Kalan’s eyes were glued on the girl. Her mouth hung open slightly, saliva mixed with even more blood as it dripped out, indicating she must’ve bit her tongue. Her head lolled, jumping occasionally whenever the technicians would fast forward or rewind a certain memory.

He had watched people get the mind probe before. Hell, he’d _ordered_ it several times. Numerous Ri’Ciaoans had gone through this efficient-yet-nasty information gathering process after not providing it willingly. But they had all been criminals; people who had done something wrong and knew full well what to expect.

Not Kari. She was an innocent caught up in a supposed search for justice. She didn’t deserve this.

Kalan cast a glance toward Jaxon, a knot forming in his stomach at what he knew was a look of accomplishment. He did his best to hide his disgust when the man beckoned him to the terminal. Steeling himself, he moved to stand next to his superior.

Jaxon had his arms crossed over his chest as he studied the images on the screen. He nodded toward it, not looking at Kalan as he spoke.

“Do you recognize either of those two people?”

The knot tightened as he watched Kari’s “quite lovely day” play out in front of him. Swallowing, he shook his head.

“No, sir, but I never saw the Doctor or Rose. Only Martha, who doesn’t seem to be with them in this memory.”

“Interesting.” Jaxon drummed his fingers on his lips before reaching down and making some adjustments. Kalan’s eyes flicked up to Kari quickly, just catching her whole body jolt. He cringed. “Is there anyone left from the team that performed this act of treachery?”

_Well, there is one…_ Clenching his jaw, Kalan tamped down the lump in his throat.

“No, sir, everyone has been eliminated, either in the escape itself or by your order.”

Jaxon met Kalan’s eyes briefly in their reflections in the monitor. A look Kalan couldn’t identify crossed briefly across the other man’s face before he gave a brief nod.

“No matter. We can find out easily enough if these are the murderers or not.” He turned toward the technician next to him. “Scrutinize this memory. Do everything you can to identify the planet.” Jaxon finally turned to look at Kalan. “Throw her in a cell.” A disgusted sneer formed as he looked at Kari through the glass. “And for the love of the gods, have her hosed off and put in some decent clothes. Humans are bad enough when they’re not filthy and half-naked.”

“Immediately, sir.” With a bow of his head, Kalan stepped back, making way for Jaxon to leave the observation room. He looked up with a raised brow at the sound of the general’s voice.

“Oh, and Kalan, make sure this one doesn’t escape. I would hate for you to meet the same fate as Velmir and your darling Jalal.”

~*~&~*~

Moaning, Rose clutched her head as her eyes fluttered open. She stiffened as she realized she was in a bed and not on a hard floor. Looking around, she relaxed as her eyes landed on the various items in her room. Back on the TARDIS. Good.

She slowly sat up and put her feet on the floor. Her hands clenched the edge of her bed as she had a dizzy spell. How much blood had she lost?

Standing, she started to make her way to the bathroom when the TARDIS shook, taking off and landing quite quickly. She frowned. What was the Doctor up to? Balancing against her dresser, she slipped her trainers back on before heading toward the control room, having to catch herself once more on the way there.

Rose walked into the control room just as Martha walked up the ramp in astonishment, smiling as the medical student said the obligatory ‘It’s bigger on the inside!’ and saw the Doctor mouth it behind her.

“Is it?” he asked in mock surprise before he caught sight of Rose. Beaming, he bounded passed Martha. “You’re awake!” He gently held her by the arms and studied her face. “How’re you feeling?”

Rose gave a half-smile. “Like I had my blood sucked by an old lady. What the hell was she?”

He let go of her arms and spun toward the console, swinging the scanner around. “A plasmavore. She was using human blood to mask her identity.”

“Bet she was shocked to find out I’m not human.”

Martha gasped. “You’re not human, either?”

The Doctor didn’t look up as he typed something into the scanner. “Nope. Well, not anymore.”

Martha raised a confused eyebrow and looked to Rose. “Not anymore?”

Rose shrugged. “It’s a long story. Short version is that I was born human, but now I’m the same as him. Sort of. It’s complicated.”

Martha nodded slowly. “Right. I get the feeling that’s common ground when it comes to him.”

“Oi! I’m right here!”

Rose grinned at him. “’S what you get for calling me ‘wifey’.”

Eyes narrowed, the Doctor flipped the hand brake, giving them no warning as the TARDIS lurched into motion, knocking both women to the floor. Walking over to her, he shoved his hands in his pockets as he looked down at her, tilting his head to one side.

“You alright, wifey?”

“Ass.”

Beaming, he sauntered back to the console and continued piloting them to their next destination.

~*~&~*~

Pounding. So much pounding. What on earth was the Doctor working on to cause all that pounding? Wait, no, the pounding was in her head. Why was her head pounding? Had she and Rose gotten into the Kelekian wine again? No, they’d both vowed to never touch it again after they drank half a glass each and woke up five hours later in the middle of an apple orchard wearing brightly-colored floral dresses and sombreros. Took them an hour to find a way out. No, this wasn’t a hangover.

She wasn’t on the TARDIS, either. Captured. That’s right. Blue force field, boots, guns, handcuffs. Gingerly, she raised her hand, surprised and pleased to find it wasn’t restrained, and touched the side of her head. She winced as pain shot through her skull, causing the pounding to get louder, stronger. She’d been whacked on the head with a gun. Then what? She’d been pistol-whipped before; it had never caused this much of a headache.

Something else was odd. Something about her clothes. She placed a hand on her chest and ran her fingers along the fabric there. Buttons. Hadn’t been wearing buttons earlier. Pajamas? Well, suppose that was better than her swimsuit.

The pounding had subsided slightly; not much, but enough to chance opening her eyes. Carefully, she cracked them open, closing them almost immediately as they were hit with the light in the room. So bright! Raising her hand to shield them, she opened them again, slowly, allowing them to adjust. As they did, a form started to come into focus. It spoke.

“Hello.”

Kari squinted, trying to make out the form. It sounded like a woman; it was someone new. Someone she hadn’t encountered yet. She licked her lips and opened her mouth to speak, only to find all she could do was cough from the dryness.

A hand slipped under her head, helping her to sit up, while another gently pressed something to her mouth.

“Here, drink this. It will help.”

She raised a shaky hand to the cup, tilting it slightly. As the cool liquid hit her tongue, she grasped onto it with both hands, trying to take all of it in at once. The helping hand, which was much stronger, moved it away.

“Sips only. You’ll get sick otherwise.”

Kari whimpered as the cup was taken away from her. She was so thirsty! Why was she so thirsty? How long had it been since she’d drank anything, or eaten, for that matter? She was mildly surprised to find she wasn’t hungry. Quite the opposite. She actually felt a bit queasy.

Moaning, she allowed the hand to lower her back onto the bed. Why wouldn’t the pounding stop? What had they done to her? She couldn’t think; it was too exhausting. Just sitting up had been a chore and she’d had help. Closing her eyes, she rolled over on her side, curling into a ball. Sleep. Maybe if she lay perfectly still, the pounding would quiet enough to let her sleep. Then she could figure out what was going on.

Gradually, the pounding receded to a dull throb, allowing her to relax slightly. Vaguely aware of the hand that was stroking her hair, Kari allowed herself to drift off. A quick nap; that was all she needed.


	6. Chapter 6

Martha groaned and rubbed her head as she accepted Rose’s hand.

“Blimey, is that how it always is?”

Rose shook her head as she followed the Doctor out of the door. “Not normally, no.” She ran a hand down the door, almost like she was trying to comfort the ship. “She’s been landing a bit rougher ever since we started following the signal.”

“What signal?”

Taking Rose’s hand, the Doctor started walking down the alley they’d landed in. Martha had to jog to catch up, almost missing his response.

“The signal we’re hoping will lead us to someone.”

“Oh. Who?”

“A friend.”

Rose glanced up at him, frowning slightly, before looking at Martha.

“Our friend, Kari, was taken a few days ago. We’ve been following this signal, hoping it takes us to her.”

Martha’s eyes grew wide. “Taken? What do you mean, taken?”

Stopping, the Doctor let go of Rose’s hand and picked up what looked like a local newspaper. He frowned as he flipped through it, never looking up as he spoke.

“Just that. Alien planet, blue light, _poof_ gone.” Folding the paper back, his eyes scanned a particular section as he mumbled to himself. “Hmm, interesting.”

Rose strained to see what he was reading. “What is it?”

Quickly folding the paper, he tucked it under one arm and smiled, though Martha was sure it was fake.

“Nothing! Just reading my horoscope. Says to watch out for freak banana storms.” He glanced up, looking almost hopeful before giving a slight pout. “Damn. Those are definitely orange clouds. No bananas coming from them.”

Martha cast a glance up briefly, slightly surprised to see that the clouds really were orange, before looking at Rose, an eyebrow raised. She just shook her head and shrugged.

Putting the paper inside his coat — how big were his pockets? — the Doctor took Rose’s hand again and continued down the street. He rubbed the back of his neck as he took in their surroundings.

“Rose, do you notice anything… odd?”

She looked up at him, frowning. “Not really. Why?”

He glanced down at her, eyebrows slightly raised, something that looked like concern crossing his features, before plastering that fake grin on his face again.

“No reason!”

Martha looked around and frowned. “Where is everyone?”

The Doctor shrugged. “Who knows? It’s evening, so they might all be home having their tea. Or perhaps there’s some big match on the telly. No way of knowing, really.”

Shaking her head and rolling her eyes, Martha zoned out the two aliens and took in their surroundings. She had no idea where they were. For all she knew, it was just somewhere else on Earth. It looked like Earth: shops, restaurants, flats, cars. Things had odd names, but were in English.

Lost in her musings, she stopped at a street corner. Turning to ask the Doctor and Rose which way they should go, she found them gone. She spun around a few times, looking everywhere.

“Doctor? Rose?”

She jogged back the way they’d come for a bit, looking in windows and down alleys, but there was no sign of them. Walking back to the intersection, she placed her hands on her hips and scowled.

“Well, that’s just lovely! Bring me to a strange place and dump me. Kari probably wasn’t taken; you probably left her, too.”

Hearing movement behind her, Martha spun around, anger flashing in her eyes.

“Just where the hell-“ She was cut off as she came face-to-face with the barrel of a very large gun. Raising her hands slowly, she smiled, laughing nervously. “I don’t suppose you know where the Doctor and Rose are, do you?”

The owner of the gun shook his head. “Don’t know no one by those names and don’t much care. Now turn around and start walking to that jeep over there. Commander Kalan wants a word with you.”

Nodding, she slowly turned, the gun pressing into her back, pushing her forward. Casting a quick glance over her shoulder as she climbed in the vehicle, Martha did her best to fight the feeling that she’d not only been left, but set up.

~*~&~*~

Opening the door, Kalan was surprised to see one of the jail guards in Jaxon’s office. He tensed as the man turned, met his gaze, and smiled.

“Kalan. So good to see you.”

He nodded. “And you.” He looked passed the guard to Jaxon. “Sir, if you’re busy…”

Jaxon shook his head. “We were just finishing up. Blake, thank you for the information. Please keep me updated of any changes.”

Giving a short nod, Blake turned and pushed passed Kalan, stopping in front of him.

“I’m offended, Kalan. I haven’t met your new prisoner yet. I do hope I shall get the pleasure soon.”

Raising a brow, Kalan watched the man leave before continuing into the office and sitting down. He flexed his hands a couple times, trying to relieve the tension that had built up over the last few hours. Taking a deep breath, he blew it out slowly as Jaxon looked up from what he was working on.

“What news do you have for me?”

“We studied the memory and are unable to identify the planet. It does not resemble any planets we have on record.”

Jaxon nodded as he stood and began pacing behind his desk, hands clasped behind his back.

“Is there a chance it’s in the past or future of one of our known planets?”

Kalan frowned. “Not that we’re aware of, sir, though I’m not sure how we would be able to determine that information.”

Jaxon waved a hand, continuing his pacing. “No matter. Even if we did, we wouldn’t be able to get there at the right time. Have you determined who she was with?”

“Yes, sir. It was definitely the Doctor and Rose, but there was no mention of Martha. The technicians have a theory, sir.”

“Oh?”

Kalan shifted slightly, a shiver running down his spine as he looked into slightly-mad eyes. “Well, sir, if the Doctor travels in time, they believe Kari was taken too early, from a point before they’d met Martha and came here.”

“Interesting.” The other man rubbed his chin, nodding slowly as he resumed pacing. “That is very interesting. I hadn’t considered that possibility.” He glanced at Kalan, eyebrow raised, when he cleared his throat.

“There’s more to the theory, sir. They believe that, by taking Kari too early, we may have caused the Doctor to come here a week ago.”

“Oh, now, that is fascinating! Our actions causing the actions that caused us to pursue the Doctor. I believe that is called a ‘paradox.’” The same sick smile Kalan had seen in the observation room began forming, growing wider as Jaxon’s pacing increased, instantly forgetting Kalan’s presence in the room. “That lends the question of whether or not the Doctor _knew_ this when he came here. Did he know Kari wasn’t here yet? And what roll does this Martha play, if any at all?” He stopped and turned toward the window, dropping into a speculative silence.

Carefully, Kalan stood. “What are your orders, sir?”

Jaxon startled, glancing over his shoulder. “Hmm, oh, yes, continue searching the prisoner’s memories. Go as far back as possible; find out whatever you can. The Doctor _will_ come for her, and when he does, I want to be prepared.”

Nodding though he knew the other man couldn’t see it, Kalan turned and left the office, a dread washing over him as he contemplated what he was about to put Kari through.


	7. Chapter 7

Martha looked around the small room she’d been left in God-knows how long ago. There was nothing but a table and two chairs, one of which she was handcuffed to. Looked like one of those interrogation rooms from the telly. It even had the two-way glass. She glared at it.

“I hope you’re enjoying yourselves! Least you could do is bring me some water.”

She jumped as the door opened and another large, purple man came in. He smiled, showing a mouth full of very sharp teeth, as he took the seat across from her.

“I’m sorry to have kept you waiting. I am Commander Kalan of the resistance. And you are?”

“Martha Jones. Why are you keeping me here?”

Kalan leaned back in his chair, hands folded easily on the table, as he studied her.

“All in good time, Miss Jones. First, I’d like you to tell me how you came to our planet.”

_In a weird, blue box._ “A spaceship, how else?”

“Yes, but how did you land without getting clearance? Hell, you didn’t even go through one of the designated ports. You just… appeared.”

Martha sighed. “Look, I don’t know how it works. I was just a passenger. You’d have to ask the Doctor.”

Kalan startled slightly before regaining composure. “Who is this Doctor?”

She shook her head. “Honestly, I have no idea. He and his wife or girlfriend or whatever she is helped save the hospital I work in, then invited me to travel with them. Next thing I know, some alarm is going off and we’re here.”

“And where is he now?”

“Beats me. We were walking down the street and they just up and disappeared.”

He nodded, drumming his fingers on the table. “Who’s the other person in your group?”

“Her name’s Rose.” Martha tugged on her restraints slightly. “Look, I get that we might be trespassing or whatever, but your guards checked me. I have no weapons and don’t know how to fight. Can you at least take these off?”

He studied her a moment more before standing. Moving around the table, he undid her cuffs and sat back down.

“Better?”

She rubbed her wrists. “Much. Now what the hell is the deal? What did I do wrong?”

Kalan shook his head. “If everything you’re telling me is true, nothing, really, short of breaking curfew. It’s the Doctor that broke through our defenses. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Royal Guard picked him and Rose up right before my men got you. One of the few things both sides are diligent at is picking up law breakers, though for very different reasons.”

Martha shuddered as she considered what those reasons might be. Trying to hide her anxiety, she crossed her legs and arms and leaned back in her chair.

“Is there a way to find out? Sooner we’re all back together, sooner we can leave your planet.”

He nodded. “We have someone on the inside at the capitol that lets us know when new prisoners arrive, specifically off-worlders. One of my men has been trying to contact them to find out.”

She raised a brow. “And if they have been taken prisoner?”

“We’ll help to rescue them.” He smiled again, sending chills down her spine. “At a price, of course.”

~*~&~*~

Jalal smiled as she glanced at the sleeping human, happy she had finally calmed. The last few hours had plagued her with sickness and nightmares. The tension had gradually left her body sometime in the last half hour, finally slipping into a restful sleep.

She stroked her thumb over Kari’s hand as she flipped through the book in her lap. The constant physical contact had seemed to help. Anytime Jalal had removed it, whether it be from stroking her hair or holding her hand, the young girl’s demons would return.

Her grip tightened on Kari’s hand when she heard the cell door unlock.

“Who’s there?”

“It’s me, Jalal.”

She relaxed slightly, smiling at the sound of her husband’s voice. Watching Kari, she carefully removed her hand, eyes never leaving her as she stood and went to Kalan. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she finally looked up at him.

“Hello, my love.”

Wrapping his arms around her waist, his eyes grew wide as he took in her split lip. “Jalal! What happened?”

She shook her head. “It is nothing. I got too close during one of her nightmares and she hit me. I’m fine.”

Studying her with concern for a moment, his gaze shifted to the sleeping human. “How is she?”

“Calm, finally. Please tell me you’re not here to take her away again.”

Kalan sighed, pulling her to him. “Not right now, no. But Jaxon does want us to continue searching her memories. He wants to be prepared for when the Doctor comes for her.”

“Prepared for what?”

He shook his head, placing a kiss to her hair. “I don’t know, love. I thought this was about the murder of Jessup and Malek, but it seems to be much more than that. I just wish I knew what.”

Snorting, Jalal pulled away, moving over to check on Kari, running a soothing hand down her hair.

“Please. He was going to execute them, anyway. I would think he’d be happy the responsibility of their death had been taken out of his hands.”

Running his hands through his hair, he began pacing the small cell. Sitting on the edge of Kari’s bed, Jalal watched the tension and stress radiate off of her husband, fists clenched tight at his sides.

“I don’t know, Jalal! It’s like he’s getting some sort of sick pleasure out of torturing Kari. You should have seen the smile on his face before he activated the probe. His eyes were _gleaming_. And I have no idea what he has in mind for the Doctor when he arrives.”

Stroking a hand down Kari’s hair again, Jalal stood and went back to her husband, pulling him into a hug. She ran calming hands up and down his back, surprised by the quiet sobs emitting from him.

“Shh, my love. I know you will do everything you can to protect her.”

Kalan gave a short laugh as he pulled away, tilting her chin up to look at him.

“You have such faith in me. I don’t know what I did to deserve you.”

She smiled and grabbed both sides of his face.

“Nothing, dear, and I love you in spite of it.”

~*~&~*~

Kalan paced the floor of their quarters, casting the occasional glance toward his wife.

“No, Jalal, it’s too dangerous. You’ll get yourself killed. Or worse, captured and tortured.”

She took a step toward him. “Kalan, I don’t have a choice! This is our opportunity to prove we can regain balance without launching into a full blown war. Velmir is the only one selected that’s not part of the faction, and you know as well as I do how stupid he is. It will be quite easy to put him on some benign thing like keeping watch while the rest of us get the President to a safe hiding place.”

He stopped pacing and stepped into Jalal, grabbing her by the arms.

“Allowing that buffoon anywhere near this is only one of the many flaws in your plan. What are you going to do with the President once you capture him? Do you seriously think he’s going to listen to a bunch of poor resistance soldiers about restoring balance after they’ve taken him hostage and released some of his prisoners?”

“We’re not taking him hostage! We just want to get him to a safe, secure location so as to negotiate peace. You know what will happen to Ri’Ciao if Jaxon gets his way. The streets will run with the blood of our people, rich and poor, young and old. It won’t matter! I’ve heard stories from Jessup and Malek; terrifying stories. Their father is a mad man! Is that who you want ruling over our people?”

Kalan pulled her into a hug, tucking her head under his chin. “Oh, my love! There’s nothing I can say or do that will stop you, is there?”

Jalal wrapped her arms around him and shook her head. “No, dear, there isn’t. I know the risk involved, just as you know the risk of commanding an entire army. Helping Martha rescue her friends and get off planet is the best chance we have of getting into the capitol and to the President.”

He sighed. “I know. I just hate the idea of sending you on what is essentially a suicide mission.”

She pulled away and looked up at him. “You’re not. I’m volunteering to go. This is my _choice_. I have to do this, not just for Ri’Ciao, but for us and our future children. I don’t want them to grow up in a world run by a murderous lunatic.”

He smiled and kissed her on the forehead. “Fine. Go. Just please be careful. And if you have the choice between instant death and torture…” He trailed off, his voice caught in his throat as he contemplated the possibilities.

Jalal returned his smile. “Thank you. I love you.”

He pulled her tight against him again, burying his face in her hair. Hot tears streamed down his face as he choked on words he’d said hundreds of times before, knowing full well this could be the last.

“I love you, too.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **TRIGGER WARNING:** Choking

Kari wasn’t sure what had woken her up: the dull throb in her head, the unknown hand holding hers, or the itch in the bottom of her foot. She was pretty sure it was the itch. Groaning, she put her free hand to her head, sitting up slightly.

“Oh, God, my head! What happened?”

“You had a mind probe used on you.”

Her entire body tensed, as much by the unfamiliar voice as by the information it had given her. Rubbing her forehead, she allowed whoever it was to help her finish sitting up, for once grateful for bare feet on a cold, metal floor. That itch was really annoying.

Kari leaned her elbows on her knees, taking deep breaths as waves of dizziness and nausea came over her. This all felt oddly familiar, though she wasn’t sure why. Once they had seemed to ease off, she slowly opened her eyes, frowning at her clothed form.

“I’m dressed. Why am I dressed?” She held a foot out, tilting it from side to side. “And I’m not covered in mud.” Turning toward the source of the voice, she looked up, squinting against the light. “What’s going on? Where am I?”

The owner of the voice smiled softly, though Kari could sense their concern.

“I am Jalal. You are in a jail cell on Ri’Ciao. What is the last thing you remember?”

Kari scrubbed her hands up and down her face. Her thoughts were scattered and it felt like her brain was swimming in pea soup. She shook her head slightly as she looked at the floor.

“I don’t know. It’s all muddled. I remember a blue light, men with guns. Purple people with big, sharp teeth.” She turned to look at Jalal again, noting her split lip as her eyes came more into focus. She gave a quick smile. “No offense.”

Jalal laughed slightly and shook her head. “None taken. Our teeth are rather sharp and intimidate even us.” She placed a comforting hand on Kari’s arm, surprising her not in the action, but in the familiarity of it. “Can you remember anything else?”

“There was a room. I was strapped to a chair. But there was something before that. A man. A really pissed off man.” As the memory started to clarify, Kari gently raised a hand to her temple, flinching and hissing in pain as her fingertips made contact with the gash. “He hit me when I wouldn’t – couldn’t – tell him what he wanted to know.”

“That would be our _leader_ , Jaxon. Do you remember what it was he wanted to know?”

Kari nodded as she looked down at Jalal’s hand on her arm, squeezing slightly when she mentioned Jaxon. Her hatred for the man was barely contained, hidden just under the almost overwhelming concern she had for Kari. The dueling emotions only added to the fog in her mind.

“He wanted to know where the Doctor was, but I didn’t know. Still don’t.” Tears flooded her eyes as a wave of despair crashed over her. Her whole body shook as she buried her head in her hands, sobbing. She allowed Jalal to pull her into a hug, her mind a mess of confusion, anger, and loneliness. Taking a couple deep, shuddering breaths, Kari wiped tears away as the emotional tidal wave subsided. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what came over me. I just felt so… scared all of a sudden.”

Jalal rocked her, stroking a hand down her hair. “Shh, it’s okay. No need to apologize. It’s one of the many unfortunate side-effects of the mind probe.”

Kari pulled away, finally sitting up and looking at Jalal properly. “You mentioned that earlier, when I woke up. Is that what happened when I was strapped to the chair?”

For the first time since Kari had awoken, Jalal’s features matched her emotions as she nodded sadly. “Yes, it is. It is something my people use on criminals when they refuse to give information willingly. It is incredibly messy and dangerous and not at all designed for humans. They have no idea how it will affect you, for how long, or how badly.”

Nodding again, Kari placed her hands on the edge of the bed and pushed herself up, wobbling slightly. She needed to move. Her body was stiff. Placing a steadying hand on a nearby sink, Kari frowned as she let another dizzy spell fade.

“How long was I out?”

“I would say about three hours in all, from what Kalan has told me.”

Kari stiffened, anger rising at the name. He’d been the first person she’d encountered when she was brought here. She angled her head slightly toward Jalal, teeth clenched as much in anger as in pain as her head began to throb again.

“So is that why you’re in here with me, asking all these questions?” She slowly turned toward Jalal. “A mind probe wasn’t enough? They wanted to get me when I was vulnerable. Catch me with my guard down and hope I gave them more information than they were getting.” Anger turned to rage as she launched herself at Jalal, knocking her to the bed, pinning her down as she wrapped her hands around the other woman’s throat. Hot tears streamed down her face as she continued to rant, ignoring the tiny voice in her head that was telling her to stop. “When will you get it through your thick skulls that I don’t know! I don’t know where we were. I don’t know _when_ we were!” Her grip tightened, lifting and banging Jalal’s head against the bed, emphasizing each word. “ _I. Don’t. Know!_ ”

Suddenly a fog seemed to clear and Kari realized what she was doing. Staring down at Jalal in horror, her eyes were met with ones full of fear and compassion, one of them recently blackened. Letting go of her throat, Kari scrambled off the bed, stumbling backwards onto another one. Shaking, she pulled her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them as she rocked, terrified. She shook her head.

“Oh God, oh God. I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to. I just… and you said… and he…” She buried her face in her knees, sobbing hysterically. “Fuck! What is wrong with me?” Startled, her head flew up when she felt Jalal’s hand on her arm. Pushing her away, Kari scrambled back into a corner. “Stay away! Don’t touch me!”

Lying on her side, Kari curled up in a ball, confused, scared, and more than a little terrified of what she’d done. Groping about, she found a blanket and pulled it over her, hiding herself away, hoping she could make herself invisible.

Her head was pounding again, vague images flashing through her mind; memories she didn’t remember making. Cold sweats, vomiting, kicking and punching someone, screams of terror, though she wasn’t sure who they belonged to. She whimpered in pain as violent sobs turned to silent tears. What had they done to her?

Turning her face into the bed, tears sprang anew as she whispered a prayer to the universe.

“Please, Doctor, find me. Find me before they turn me into a monster.”

~*~&~*~

Martha jumped up when she heard the cell door click, preparing herself for anything as it opened. Much to her surprise, she was greeted by the smiling face of a female Ri’Ciaoan. She raised a brow.

“Who’re you?”

The woman bowed her head. “I am Jalal. Please, have a seat, we have much to discuss.”

Eying her warily, Martha sat back down on the bed and crossed her arms over her chest. Jalal sat opposite, maintaining a calm smile as she observed Martha’s defensive stance. She chuckled, much to Martha’s annoyance.

“You have every right to be leery of me, Martha Jones, but I assure you I am not here to harm you. Quite the opposite. I’m here to discuss the rescue of your friends and your escape from this planet.”

She gave a short laugh. “Right. Like you lot are going to let us get away. Pull the other one.”

Jalal frowned, confused. “I’m not sure what that means, but I assume by your tone that you don’t believe me. Again, you have every right not to trust me, which is why I’m here. I believe it best to provide you with full disclosure of the plan.”

Sighing, Martha relaxed slightly. “Fine, I’ll humor you. What’s this ‘plan’?”

Jalal’s eyes flashed as a determination rose in her; determination fueled by anger. The drastic and quite sudden change startled Martha, causing her to sit up a little straighter and be a bit more willing to listen.

“Our planet is on the verge of a civil war. For close to fifty years, our elected officials have gradually become more and more corrupt, leading to the less fortunate being pushed farther down. We are tired of being oppressed and trodden on and are thus beginning to rise up. We are organized. We have a leader and a military. However…” She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, knuckles white as her hands fisted in her lap. “This leader is very power hungry; more so than the current elected officials in the capitol. His solution is to assassinate our President, essentially forcing the elite to go into battle. There is a faction within the resistance that does not agree with this approach. We believe in using diplomacy first and violence as a last resort.”

Martha nodded slowly. “Can’t disagree much with that. But where do I come in?”

“I have been chosen to lead a unit into the capitol to rescue your friends and assassinate the President. I have also been granted the privilege of choosing my own team. Thus, with one exception, it will consist of members of the peace faction. Our plan is to go in and use the rescue of your friends as a cover while we get the President to a safe, secure location in order to instigate negotiations. Once we have freed them, we intend on getting you all back to your ship and safely off this planet.”

Martha frowned. “Okay, and what happens to you when you don’t come back with us?”

Jalal shook her head. “Don’t worry about that. That will be my concern. Yours should be about getting to your friends and getting away from here alive.” Standing, she moved to sit next to Martha, taking one of her hands. “This battle is not yours, Martha. It is ours. No one else should have to fight it or be caught up in it. It’s part of why our boarders are closed. You and your friends _need_ to get away from here before it’s too late.”

Martha looked down at their conjoined hands and nodded. “Yeah, okay.” Looking back up, she smiled as she met the other woman’s eyes. “Let’s save your President and get me the hell off this planet!”


	9. Chapter 9

The Doctor’s eyes followed Rose as she paced their cell, occasionally shooting glares at him as he sat against the wall. He sighed and ran a hand down his face.

“Rose, will you please stop pacing? All you’re doing is wearing a hole in the floor.”

She glared at him again as she quickened her steps.

“So? Wearing a hole in the floor is still more than you’re doing to get us out of here.”

“I’ve told you, there’s nothing more I _can_ do. We have to wait it out.”

Stopping suddenly, she stalked toward him, glowering. Placing her hands on her hips, he winced internally at how much she looked like Jackie in that moment.

“Yeah, about that. _Why_ can’t you do anything? You haven’t even tried to get us out of here! As soon as they threw us in, you sat your skinny arse down and declared there was nothing more to do. That we had to _wait_! Since when do we wait? And just what the hell are we waiting for?”

He studied her for a moment, saying nothing. “Rose, please. Sit down.”

“Fine.” Turning, she took the few short steps to the only bed in the cell and flopped down on it, engulfing her in a cloud of dust. Crossing her arms and legs, she tilted her head, her gaze almost challenging even as her eyes watered from the dust. “There. Better?”

He watched her for a few seconds, the defiant glare that was clearly meant to intimidate him, to reinforce her point that she was demanding an answer. He almost (but not quite) managed to hold back a smile as she fought so hard not to sneeze at the dust she'd kicked up. Looking away, he stood and crossed slowly, looking through the bars of the cell, up and down the walkway outside as far as he could see. No guard. He could open the cell easily; he had his screwdriver. He knew it.  She knew it. He turned away from the bars and took a few meandering steps closer to her before sitting down on the edge of the bed.

She scooted away from him, finally wiping some of the dust off of her face. Raising an eyebrow, she continued to maintain her defiant stance.

“Well?”

He turned to look at her, studying her curiously. “Can't you feel it, Rose?”

“Feel what?”

Eyes locked on her, he watched for any hint of recognition on her face. “It doesn't feel wrong to you? Not at all?”

She scrutinized him for a moment, confused. “Yeah, a little. So?”

Still watching her face, he slid his hand over hers - physical contact with an object that was absolutely fixed in time. He was a point in time that would make all of the fluctuations around them stand out in stark contrast.

“How about now?”

Her eyes grew wide as she pulled her hand away. “What the hell was that?”

“The temporal anomalies around you. Well, I say anomalies.” He looked away, up and down at the walls and ceiling of the tiny cell. “Not really anomalies. Not yet. They're still fluid.”

Tentatively, she placed her hand on his, tensing as it all hit her again. Slowly, she followed his gaze around the cell, her voice barely above a whisper. “Wow.” She met his eyes, hers full of awe. “It still amazes me that this is how you always see things.”

He smiled knowingly and let her explore her new-found extra senses for a moment before he spoke.

“Do you know _why_ it feels like this?”

She shook her head slowly, silent as she continued to look around the cell in wonder.

He watched her for a moment longer, then shifted, pulling one knee up onto the bed as he turned to her. “Face me.”

Taking a moment longer to marvel at the walls, she turned toward him, a tongue-tinted smile forming. “You're gonna show me, aren't ya?”

The Doctor gave her a patient look, but didn't answer. Drawing in a deep breath, he closed his eyes and touched her temples lightly, feeling out her mental defenses for a moment before uttering softly, “Contact.”

Taking a deep breath, Rose released it slowly as she let her eyes slide closed. “Contact.”

He moved very carefully, slowly past the boundaries of her mind. He didn't want to hurt her. Open contact with an inexperienced partner was intense on the best of days. They’d been training; working on her ability to control her new senses, but had never put it to any practical use. He didn't want to overwhelm her already heightened sense of alarm.

“Tell me what you feel.”

“A kind of shifting? Like pieces being moved around. And a general wrongness. Is this what's been causing that feeling of motion sickness?”

“Probably.”  A flicker of wandering thoughts distracted him for just a moment, but he quickly brought his mind back into line with his purpose. “Can you tell what's out of place? Is it the whole situation or is it just the fact that we're in it?”

“I... I'm not sure. It's almost like it's a bit of both. Like us being here is accelerating events, but at the same time, they're supposed to happen now.” Her hands found his wrists and squeezed, dizzy from the contact and needing to find grounding. “Sorry.”

He almost flinched at the touch, his senses heightened by hers in the mutual experience of their awareness. He heard and felt and smelled and sensed everything around him in double - amplifying it for her but nearly overwhelming him in the process. The feel of her hands on his wrists wouldn't have even made it to his awareness any other time. But the feel of her warmth was mingled with the cool of his own skin on her fingers - a simple touch that was somehow so much more intimate. It didn't help that she felt it too, and that it made her - and therefore his - thoughts wander.

Slowly, almost reluctantly, she removed her hands and cleared her throat. “Right, so, about this wrongness.”

It was a bit harder to get his thoughts back on track this time. “You said you can see the pieces moving around. If you put them in the right order, can you tell which one comes first? You don't have to see what the pieces _are_ just... can you see the order they go in?”

“Yeah, a bit. There are chunks missing. Like they'll be filled in later.”

He nodded slowly, letting her lead and following her thoughts. “That first piece. It's attached to another piece, yes? The first piece is the effect. A piece that comes later in the sequence is the cause.”

She frowned. “How does that work? Shouldn't it be the other way ‘round?”

“Should be.”

“So then why isn't it?”

“Think about why we're here. Just think. Don't try to see it because you can't; it's not fortune telling. Why we came here...”

She was silent for a long time, searching her thoughts. He felt her realization before she voiced it. “Oh...”

He smiled. “Very good.”

“So, we're here because Kari was taken, but Kari was taken because we're here?” She grabbed his wrists again as another dizzy spell hit her. She took a couple deep breaths before continuing, her grip loosening slightly. “How're we supposed to know when she’s going to be here?”

Her dizzy spell hit him, too. But he pulled it under control quickly, pressing his fingers a little firmer to her temples and his mind a little closer to hers, stabilizing each other.

“We don't.” He took in a deep breath, and another wave of distraction hit him. Her scent - soft and warm and so close. “Like I said, it's not fortune telling.” He should pull away. He was done here. He didn't want to pull away...

Rose drew in a shuddering breath, no doubt finding her own distractions. A shiver went through him as her thumbs absently drew patterns on the insides of his wrists. He should really pull away now...

“Right, not fortune telling. So we just keep hopping around?”

The brush of her thumbs on the sensitive insides of his wrists seemed amplified a hundred times over, echoing back and forth between them. A sensation she caused, and he felt, and she felt him feel, and he felt her presence all the more in his mind. Something so simple. Something so intimate... He drew in another deep breath, barely hearing her question. He'd meant for it to steady him. Instead, it filled his awareness with the heady scent of her pheromones. It was everything he could do to hold back a groan as he let them swirl through his mind.

Shifting slightly, she removed one of her hands, gently running her fingertips down the side of his face, along his jaw, and down his neck before resting her hand on his chest. He could barely hear her voice, laced with concern, confusion, and desire, through the overwhelming presence of _her_.

“Doctor? Are you okay?”

His breathing was a bit heavier. He couldn't prevent it. Slowly, he opened his eyes and locked them on hers. She could feel what he felt; it was only a half-step more to give her access to what he thought, to the images that flashed across his mind. It was a place he kept instinctively guarded - the privacy of his inner thoughts, a place that so few people had ever touched and so many had tried to access by force. Over the years, he'd gotten very good at protecting it. The thought of lowering his guard, letting her in, was almost frightening. But the look in her eyes was anything but a threat, and she could already feel his hearts racing - both against her hand and in his chest. If she gave it any thought, she could figure out why all on her own. And his resolve was weakening as his awareness of her grew stronger. Slowly, cautiously, he lowered his defenses, inviting her inside.

Her eyes searched his, head tilted slightly, almost questioning, asking for permission even though he'd already given it to her. Tentatively, she entered his mind. Suddenly, she was hit with the image of his hand tangled in her long, blond hair. Simultaneously, a very real heat pooled at her core. Gasping, Rose backed out, blinking, chest heaving.

“Um... I... yeah. Wow.”

He dropped his hands instantly, as if he'd just touched a flame. “Sorry.” Looking anywhere but at her, he moved back slightly. “Sorry.”

She reached forward and carefully took his hands, squeezing tightly as he tried to pull away.

“There’s no need to apologize. It’s okay. I was just caught off guard. Our training was never that… intense.”

He shook his head, still refusing to look at her. “I never should’ve showed you that.”

Smiling, she cupped the side of his face, turning him to face her. “Who says I don’t want to see that?”

He frowned, unsure. “Really?”

“Really.” Taking both of his hands, she placed them at her temples again and gave him an encouraging smile. “Please, Doctor, I _want_ to see more.”

Searching her eyes one last time for any sign of doubt, he took a deep breath and allowed his to slide closed again. Releasing the breath, he was about to reestablish contact as the cell door flew open. Both of them jumped up, blushing, feeling as though they'd been caught as Martha and two Ri’Ciaoans burst in the cell. For the first time, the Doctor noticed the commotion in the hall: shouting, running, gunfire. Martha looked them both up and down, an eyebrow raised.

“You two ready to go?”

Exchanging a quick glance with Rose, he swept up his coat and plastered on his most convincing smile.

“We were born ready. What took you so long?”


	10. Chapter 10

Jaxon turned from the window as his office door opened, smiling as the two Unvossians entered. He gestured toward the seats across from his desk.

“Welcome, L’Nay. Please, have a seat.”

Nodding, she sat as the other took post by the door.

“Thank you, Jaxon. I hope you are doing well?”

Taking a seat at his desk, he returned the nod as he folded his hands neatly and leaned back.

“I am, thank you. And you?”

“The same. And the human prisoner? What is your progress with her?”

“She just finished her second round with the mind probe. It has confirmed your suspicions that the Doctor is a Time Lord. The last one, apparently. There was another one – the Master – who appears to have changed his face before meeting his demise. It’s not clear what happened to him.”

L’Nay nodded. “Yes, the Time Lords were known for their ability to regenerate. It allows them to cheat death. There are few ways to permanently kill one.”

Jaxon raised a brow. “Really? So that would explain why the Doctor in our history and this Doctor have two different faces. Fascinating!” He leaned forward. “You said there are few ways to kill them. I take it you know those ways?”

“As legend has it, either instant brain death or penetration of both of their hearts should do it.” L’Nay smiled, an almost gleeful mischievousness flashing in her eyes. “My recommendation would be to do both. Better to be safe than sorry.”

“Indeed.” He leaned back again. “How goes the progress of leading him here?”

She inclined her head. “That is part of why I am here. We’re close, but we need a blood sample from the prisoner. The Doctor’s TARDIS should be well acquainted with her DNA. By adding her biological signature, it should be able to lock on to the beacon easier, bringing him to the correct time and place.”

Jaxon waved a hand. “That will be easy. She has bled all over the mind probe room, or, if you need it fresh, I will send one of our medics into her cell to draw it for you.”

“Fresh would be preferred. Collecting it after it has fallen runs risk of contamination.”

His eyes flicked to the door as another knock came. “Yes, of course. I will send someone to collect it immediately. Approximately how much do you need?”

L’Nay shrugged as she stood. “A standard vial should do nicely. I will be waiting in my quarters; please have it brought there.”

Standing, he nodded as he circled around his desk. “At once.” He led her to the door, bowing his head as he opened it. “It has been a pleasure, L’Nay.”

“And ours, Jaxon.” Returning his bow, the Unvossians left his office, bowing also to Blake as he waited patiently for them to leave.

Meeting the guard’s eyes, Jaxon gestured into his office. “Please, enter, Blake. What news do you have for me?”

Watching after the aliens for a moment, Blake entered the office, standing at attention behind a chair.

“I have news on Kalan’s wife, Jalal, sir. As suspected, she is still alive. I heard Kalan talking to her while in the human prisoner’s cell and saw her when they removed Kari for her most recent mind probe. There is also rumor that the technicians caught glimpses of Jalal in Kari’s recent memories before Kalan ordered them to fast forward to where they’d left off the first time.”

Jaxon closed the door, bowing his head slightly as he worked to contain his anger. His hand tightened on the handle as his blood boiled; betrayed by his own Commander. Taking a deep breath, he let it out slowly before turning toward his desk. Sitting, he looked up at the guard and smiled.

“Thank you, Blake. Your information has been most helpful. Is the prisoner back in her cell?”

Blake nodded. “Yes, sir. She will be collected again in three hours for another round with the probe.” The man shifted slightly and swallowed. “There is something else, sir.”

His smile tightened as he flexed his hands. “Yes, what is it?”

“The prisoner has become violent, sir. When she’s awake, that is. She assaulted two of our guards while they were escorting her to her second session and bit another while they were strapping her in, taking a large chunk of flesh from his arm. We’ve never seen a mind probe cause violence to this extent, at least not after only one session.”

Leaning back in his chair, Jaxon’s smile turned genuine. “Thank you, Blake. That has to be some of the best news I’ve heard all day.”

The guard frowned. “Sir?”

“Don’t you see? The violence is usually triggered by the person or persons viewed as the aggressor. If she’s this violent toward our guards now, imagine what she would do to her precious Doctor if she thought _he_ had caused this?” Standing, he began pacing, ideas swirling through his mind. It was almost too much! Spinning on his heel, he stormed up to Blake, startling the young man. “I want to be there for her next session. I want to speak to her while she’s unconscious.”

“Yes, sir. Shall I send someone for you when Kari’s retrieved from her cell?”

“Before. I want to be waiting for her.” He spun away again. “Oh, this will be glorious! Killing the Doctor would be reward enough, but to have it happen at the hand of his companion? Magnificent!” Taking his spot at the window again, he waved a hand over his shoulder. “You’re dismissed, Blake. Oh, and send a medic to the girl’s cell. We need a vial of blood drawn and taken to the Unvossians immediately.”

Jaxon barely heard the man leave through all of the chaos in his mind. He’d wanted the Doctor to pay for his crimes against Ri’Ciao for as long as he could remember. Until a week ago, he’d only ever dreamed of what he would do if they ever met. Now, it seemed he had a secret weapon, all wrapped up nicely in the form of one human girl.

A smile spread across his face as he looked out over the smoking ruins of the capitol.

“Soon, Doctor. Soon you shall pay for what you have done to us; for a century of oppression and slavery under the rule of our ‘elected’ officials. And it will come by the hand of someone you trust.”

~*~&~*~

Rose pressed herself against the wall, holding her breath, her double heartbeat thrumming in her ears as the most recent stream of guards ran passed them. She watched the Doctor, afraid to move an inch until he gave the all clear. Her breath escaped her lungs as he gave the nod and they continued toward the TARDIS.

Everything around her was swirling, chaotic, and not just because of their prison break. With every step she took, another piece of the puzzle fell into place, but more were lost. Her head was pounding and vision blurred. Running around a corner, she slammed into something soft yet firm. She started to panic as strong hands gripped her arms.

“Rose? Rose!”

She shook her head, squinting as she looked up at who held her, relief flooding her as the Doctor swam into view. She gave a lopsided smile.

“Hi.”

He frowned, concerned, searching her face. “Rose, are you okay?”

In response, she pushed him away and turned, supporting herself on a wall as she threw up. Nodding, she wiped her mouth on the back of her hand and stood to face him.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just a little disoriented.”

“Dammit.” He took her face in his hands, locking his eyes on to hers. “Rose, I need you to take a few deep breaths and try to focus, okay? Your senses are hypersensitive and overstimulated right now. We don’t have time for me to fix it for you, so you need to focus.” He clicked his fingers as her eyes started to roll back. She snapped them back on his, wide as she tried to just keep _him_ in focus. “Rose, you can do this! You _have_ to do this. Just until we get back to the TARDIS, okay?”

She nodded as she swayed slightly, grabbing tightly onto his coat to steady herself. Focus. She had to focus. Just 'til they got back to the TARDIS. She could do that, couldn’t she? As she turned to throw up again, she began to have her doubts.

Taking the deep breaths the Doctor had told her to take, she finally managed to dull the pounding in her head to a throb and her hearts finally slowed down. As she faced the Doctor again, she was glad to see that her vision was only slightly blurred around the edges. Taking the handkerchief he offered her, she wiped her mouth again, shoved it in her pocket, and gestured for them to continue.

Carefully, and with a firm grip on the Doctor’s hand, Rose surveyed their surroundings. They trailed behind Martha and the two Ri’Ciaoans that had rescued them. At some point, they’d made it out of the palace or capitol building or wherever it was they’d been and were in an alley now. She could sense the TARDIS nearby. Oh, well, that was new.

As they hid behind a dumpster, she got a good look at the two natives, and frowned. There was something… odd about them. She held the Doctor back slightly as they came out of hiding and continued on their way.

“Those two, the ones that came with Martha, do you notice anything weird about them?”

He glanced at them and nodded sadly.

“Yeah, noticed it when they freed us. Their timelines are ending soon, his before hers, but soon.”

Rose watched them a moment longer as they peeked out around a car, looking for guards.

“We have to let them die, don’t we?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know, Rose. I hope not, but we won’t know until the time comes.”

Nodding, she squeezed his hand as they followed their rescuers to another hiding place, surprised to see another Ri’Ciaoan waiting for them. The woman – Jalal? – didn’t seem happy that he was there.

“Jessup, what’re you doing here? You’re supposed to be getting the President to safety.”

He trembled as he shook his head, tears making tracks in the dirt and blood on his face.

“Jalal, I’m sorry. I tried to stop him, but he was too close…”

The Ri’Ciaoan woman’s features instantly became concerned.

“What happened? Where’s the President?”

“Velmir killed him, right before he was shot down by elite guards. I barely made it out alive.”

Rose’s hearts stopped as she noted Jessup’s very short timeline. His seemed to match that of Malek’s, their other Ri’Ciaoan rescuer. Tears flooded her eyes as she looked up at the Doctor as he watched her with interest and concern.

“Yes, I see it too, Rose, and there’s nothing we can do. I’m sorry.”

Nodding silently, she stood as the others did, creeping out from behind another car only to come face to face with elite guards. Raising her hands, she swallowed as her eyes flicked down the alley where she knew the TARDIS stood. They were so close!

“You’re all under arrest for the assassination of President Inay. Surrender your weapons and come peacefully and no one will get hurt.”

Jalal looked over her shoulder, making eye contact with the Doctor. “Is your ship nearby?”

He nodded. “Yes. Just down that alley.”

“Good. You three make a break for it; we’ll cover you. Be well.”

Smiling sadly, the Doctor squeezed her shoulder. “Thank you, and I’m sorry.”

Bowing her head, she raised her weapon, motioning for the other two to follow suit. Grabbing Rose and Martha’s hands, the Doctor tugged them after him, toward the TARDIS, as gunfire opened behind them. Martha yanked her hand away, skidding to a halt.

“What’re we doing? We can’t just leave them to die!”

The Doctor grabbed her hand again. “We don’t have a choice. They’re giving us a chance to escape. We have to take it.”

Rose looked over her shoulder, tears welling up as she watched Malek get shot down, followed shortly by Jessup. Quite suddenly, her world began to spin again. Events were falling rapidly into place, their deaths seemingly the corner pieces to this jigsaw puzzle. She barely registered when the Doctor started pulling her toward the TARDIS again, or Martha’s yelling at them to stop and go back.

Stumbling into the control room, she made her way up the ramp and collapsed on the jump seat, curling up in a ball. She squeezed her eyes shut, as much to stop the spinning as to hold in the tears that wanted to spill out. She knew there was nothing they could’ve done, that it had to happen.

The sound of the rotor seeped in as the very vivid images of the Ri’Ciaoans getting shot replayed over and over in her mind. The screams and gunfire drowned out the Doctor and Martha’s shouting. She was sure at some point some of it was directed at her. She didn’t care. She’d just gotten someone killed.


	11. Chapter 11

“Because? Because! What the hell sort of answer is that?”

Martha clenched and unclenched her fists. She was only barely aware of the persistent stabbing pain of her nails against her palms. She didn’t care. At least it meant she could _feel_ , which was more than she could say about the psychos she was trapped with.

Unclenching her hand, she angrily and blindly slapped a door as she passed it, stopping short as it opened. She’d slapped a few doors as she’d wandered the seemingly-endless halls, but this was the first one that opened. Turning, a brow raised as she read the name on it.

“The mysterious, kidnapped Kari, huh? I wonder if you were actually taken or if they left you for dead somewhere. Seems like something they’d do.” She sighed. “Might as well see who I’m ‘replacing.’”

Pushing the door open, she stepped into the missing companion’s room. Glancing about, she was surprised at how lived-in it seemed, like she’d just stepped out for a moment and would be back anytime. The bed was unmade, clothes were strewn about, and there was more than one empty coffee cup on various surfaces. Picking one up, Martha inspected it for a moment before giving a snort of laughter.

“You probably had just stepped out for a moment, fully expecting to come back. Shows what you knew.”

She was looking at a picture of a young woman – she assumed it was Kari – and a rather handsome man when something rubbed against her legs. Her eyebrows shot up in surprise at the sight of a cat wrapping itself around her ankles. Kneeling down, she scratched it behind an ear.

“Hello there, puss. What’re you doing in here?”

“That’s Paxton, Kari’s cat. I imagine she’s a bit starved for attention.”

Martha stood so quickly she nearly toppled over as she spun towards the voice. Her eyes narrowed as they fell on the source. “What do _you_ want?”

The Doctor sighed. “To apologize. And explain. If after that, you still want to go home, I'll take you, no questions asked.”

She crossed her arms and adjusted her stance, shifting her weight to one hip. “Well, get to explaining, then.”

He rubbed the back of his neck as he looked around the room, like he was just as unfamiliar with it as she was. Eventually, he focused back on her, shoving his hands in his pockets.

He glanced behind her. “Can we sit down? Please? This could take a while.”

She watched him for a long moment, eyes narrowed. She didn't want to take a while. She didn't want to sit down. She wasn't even sure she wanted an explanation. At least, not if that explanation was supposed to make her say that what she had just witnessed was really okay. Still, it wasn't like she had much of a choice. He piloted this... whatever it was. And he wasn't going to take her home until he'd said his peace.

“Sit, then. I'm not stopping you.”

He studied her for a moment, sighing again when he realized she wasn't going to budge. Stepping around her, he moved a pile of laundry and sat down. He leaned forward on his knees, scrubbing his hands down his face before clasping them in front of him. He looked up at her with tired eyes.

“I'm a time traveler, Martha. My life rarely happens in the right order. It's not uncommon for effect to come before cause. That's what's happened here. The reason Kari was taken was presumably because of what happened on that planet.”

Martha's brow furrowed as she shook her head. “That doesn't even make any sense.”

“Kari wasn't the one they were after; I was. However, the whole reason we were even _on_ that planet was because the energy signal that should be taking us to Kari led us there. Whoever took her used primitive time travel technology, badly. They took her from a point _before_ the reasons why they were even searching me out happened to me, creating a cyclical paradox.”

Martha frowned. “Fine. I'm not even going to _ask_ how you think you know all of that. Let's say I believe you. It still doesn't change the fact that what happened back there was _wrong_. And you let it happen, right there in front of you.”

He took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “I had to let it happen, Martha. They're deaths are _why_ they come looking for me. If I'd changed anything, even the slightest bit, it would've created an even bigger paradox.”

“So?” Brows raised, she waited as patiently as she could manage to hear why that justified what was, to her, the equivalent of murder. By proxy, maybe. But if he could've stopped it and he didn't, he was at the very least guilty of negligence.

The Doctor stood and ran his hands through his hair as he began to pace. After a few passes, he stopped and placed his hands on the dresser, almost like he was trying to calm himself. Taking a few deep breaths, he turned to face her.

“For me, at this point in time, Kari has already been taken. That's fixed. It's happened. I can't change that. Nor could I change the reasons _why_ she was taken. If I hadn't given them a reason to come looking for me, to try to take me out of time and space, then they won't take Kari, which has already happened.”

She wanted to ask what the problem was with them not taking Kari. But she had a feeling he'd talk them in circles if she gave him that opportunity. So she asked the more direct question.

“Or else what? They never take Kari and then what happens? The universe implodes?”

“Quite possibly, yes.”

She laughed. “Am I supposed to _believe_ that?”

“Ideally.” He heaved a sigh. “Look, Martha, I don't know what else I can say to convince you that what happened had to happen. I get that all this sounds completely insane. If I could have changed it, I would have, in a heartbeat. But...” He trailed off, shaking his head as he flopped back down in the chair, burying his face in his hands. “I'm sorry.”

Martha studied him for a long moment, relaxing her posture just slightly. Her gaze drifted over the room, the items strewn haphazardly about. This was somebody's life, their day to day. Somebody who hadn't been forced to be here, but they'd chosen to.

“Why?” She looked pointedly at him. “Why do they follow you? Rose, Kari... Are they just as mad as you are?”

He gave a short laugh as his hands slowly slid down his face. “Possibly. Probably.” He leaned back in the chair. “Rose was 19 when she started traveling with me. Saved her from shop window dummies then blew up her work. Asked her to come with me. Twice. Never done that before. She's saved my life in more ways than I can count.”

He cast sad eyes around his lost companion's room, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth as they landed on the pictures on her dresser. “Kari was probably the craziest of them all. She knew what she was getting into and still came along. Saved the world - and Rose - on her first day.”

Martha relaxed her stance. “So that's what it's about? Saving the world - the universe - and watching people die?”

Any hint of a smile faded as he met her gaze. “I'd like to say no, but I'd be lying. Things like today are rare, yes, but there's still entirely too much death.  There are good days; days when everyone lives. Days when we explore planets without someone trying to kill us or throw us in jail. Probably happens more often then I realize. But that's who I am, Martha. The Doctor. An alien in a blue box that goes around saving the universe, frequently with a companion or two in tow.”

“Right. Of course.” She swallowed, shifting slightly. “Just makes me wonder what the hell I'm doing here, is all.”

He stood up and shoved his hands in his pockets. “I will understand if you want to go home. More than understand, actually. But you are more than welcome to stay, too. I've become accustomed to having two companions and I'm sure Rose misses having another girl to talk to. The TARDIS will set you up a room of your own if you decide to stay.” He glanced around the room again before walking toward the door, stopping briefly at the bed to scratch Paxton under the chin. “Take your time to think about it. The TARDIS will lead you to wherever I am when you're ready.”

“Right.” Martha nodded, defenses still safely in place as she watched him leave. She couldn't help but wonder if that meant he was simply going to leave his "expired" companion behind. She wasn't about to let that happen. Damned if she was going anywhere until she saw Kari safely returned to this room. But she wasn't going to tell him that. Right now, it was safer just to say nothing.


	12. Chapter 12

The Doctor made another adjustment to the scanner, doing his level best to ignore the little light that was flashing on the console. The TARDIS had picked up the signal again. He didn’t know how long they’d have it; didn’t matter. He couldn’t follow it until he knew what Martha wanted to do.

Sighing, he ran his hands down his face and flopped onto the jump seat, propping his feet on the console. He leaned his head back, letting his eyes slide closed as he took a few deep, calming breaths. Patience wasn’t his strong suit. He hated waiting at the best of times; the fact they ran the risk of losing the trail only made it worse.

He opened his eyes and turned to look at the door as it opened, smiling weakly as Rose walked in with two cups of tea. Dropping his feet, he let her pass before taking one from her, putting them back up and wrapping an arm around her shoulders as she sat down.

“Ta.”

She nodded and sipped hers. “Welcome. Figured we could all do with a good cuppa.”

He gave a low chuckle. “All the problems in the universe could be solved with a sit down and a good cuppa.” He took a long drink, sighing as the sweet, hot concoction rolled on his tongue and slid down his throat. “Especially if you made it.”

“Hardly.”

He squeezed her shoulder slightly. “No, really, Rose. Your tea could end hunger, halt wars, and bring peace to the entire universe.”

She looked up at him, raising a brow. “I’m not sure if that’s a compliment or an insult. For your sake, I’m going to take it as a compliment.”

“As you should.” He leaned his forehead against her crown, nuzzling into her hair slightly. “How’re you feeling?”

She shrugged. “Better, I guess. Don’t seem to be as hypersensitive as I was before, but I don’t know how much of that has to do with being in the TARDIS.”

He sighed again, staring into his tea as he swirled the cup. “Quite a bit, I’d imagine. When we’re in here, we’re in a state of temporal grace, cut off from regular time. It’s allowed your senses to calm down and readjust. Something like that won’t happen again. Well, shouldn’t, as long as I’m careful not to leave everything wide open like I did. Sorry about that.”

“S’kay. It was a learning experience if anything.” Leaning into him, she hugged her cup as it sat in her lap. “How’s Martha? Does she want to go home?”

He shook his head. “I don’t know. I found her in Kari’s room; TARIDS must’ve led her there. She’s upset, angry, and confused with every right to be. Did my best to explain what happened and told her to come find me when she made a decision.”

Nodding, Rose took another sip of her tea. Sighing, she fell silent. He stroked his thumb over her shoulder, staring absently at the blasted blinking light on the console. A thought was niggling at him, right at the edge of his memory. Something that didn’t have to do with the search, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.

He was dragged out of his musings when he noticed his arm shaking. Frowning, he looked down at Rose and realized she was crying. Setting their mugs on the floor, he pulled her into a hug, pressing a kiss into her hair.

“Hey. It’s okay. It’s a lot to deal with all at once. You’ll get used to it.”

She shook her head and pulled back slightly, wiping tears away. “It’s not that. Well, it is, but…” She looked up at him, her eyes full of fear and sadness. “Those two men died. They were _killed_! Right in front of us, and there was nothing we could do. We had to let it happen!” She looked away, seeming to focus on the blinking light, though he wasn’t sure if she actually saw it or realized what it was. “How can we expect Martha to accept, let alone understand, something like that? _I_ barely understand it! And I sure as hell don’t want to accept it, but I have to.” Looking back up at him, she frowned as fresh tears fell. “Is this how it always is? How it’s always going to be?”

He pulled her tight against him. “Yes. No.” He sighed. “I don’t know, Rose. I can only assume you see and feel things the same way I do. If that’s the case, then, yes, for the most part, that’s how it always is. And you will get used to it. I promise.”

Nodding, she pulled herself to him as close as she could, burying her face in his chest as she continued to sob. He tightened his grip, giving her this moment to grieve and process. She deserved that much, if not more. Tears pricked the corners of his eyes as hers soaked through his shirt, hearts clenching at the memories of the horrors he’d endured over the centuries. Horrors he hoped she never came close to experiencing.

~*~&~*~

Flipping a switch, turning a dial, almost from motor memory, Rose helped the Doctor pilot them to their next destination, wherever that was. She glanced at Martha out of the corner of her eye. The other woman was sat on the jump seat, arms and legs crossed, not quite glaring, but certainly not happy about being there. She’d decided to stay, but didn’t seem pleased about the decision.

Rose barely caught herself on the edge of the console as they had another bumpy landing. She tilted her head as she looked curiously up at the rotor.

“Doctor, what’s wrong with her? She’s been running rough ever since we started following the signal.”

“Before that, actually.” He checked something on the scanner before grabbing his coat and heading to the door. “Ever since we got knocked out of the vortex, though it seems to have gotten worse. I don’t think she likes being led on a wild-goose chase. Can’t say I blame her.”

Glancing at Martha over her shoulder as she reached the door, Rose gave her a weak smile.

“You don’t have to come if you don’t want to.”

She huffed as she reluctantly stood and slipped her jacket on. “No way am I staying by myself in here. For all I know, there’s some wild animal roaming those endless halls.”

Rose laughed, trying to lighten the mood. “Not that I know of, but I haven’t even come close to exploring it all. I’m not sure anyone can.”

“Rose! Are you coming or not?”

Rolling her eyes at the whining Time Lord, she stepped out, immediately wrapping her arms around herself. Pulling her coat over her head to protect herself from the wind and rain, she ran to catch up with the Doctor. Her shoes squished as she came to a stop and stared up at the dark, looming structure in front of them.

“When and where are we? And what’s that place? Scooby Doo’s house?”

“London, 2008, little bit before we picked up Martha…” He paused, frowning. Shaking his head a bit, he pulled the sonic out and aimed it at the house. “Signal’s weak, but it’s coming from in there.”

Martha stepped up next to them. “We are _not_ going in there!” She looked up at the Doctor. “We’re not, right?” Her face fell as he beamed and headed for the house. She looked to Rose, eyes wide. “Please tell me we’re not going in there.”

Rose shrugged. “Well, he is, and where he goes, I go. Up to you if you want to follow. Again, you are more than welcome to stay in the TARDIS where it’s warm, dry, and a lot less creepy. In fact,” she pulled her key out of her pocket and handed it to Martha. “Here, take this. If you want to go back before we do, you’ll be able to get in.”

Giving her an apologetic smile, Rose started after the Doctor, trainers slipping on the wet leaves. Eyes on the path, she was so focused on not falling that she didn’t realize the Doctor had stopped and slammed into his back.

“Oof, sorry.” She looked up at him frowning when she noticed that, in spite of her almost knocking him off balance, he seemed completely lost in thought. “Doctor?” She nudged him with her shoulder. “Doctor, are you okay?”

“Hmm? Oh, sorry, Rose…” He trailed off again before his eyes suddenly went wide. “Oh! No… Yes! Ha!” He beamed at her and pushed the sonic into her hand before jogging back toward the TARDIS.

“Where are you going?”

“Be right back! Finally remembered something I’ve been trying to figure out all day.”

Rose blinked, staring after him as Martha caught up with her. “Barmy. He’s completely, bloody barmy.”

For the first time since before Ri’Ciao, Martha gave a smile, albeit a small one. “So it’s not just me, then?”

Shaking her head, Rose laughed and turned back toward the house, holding the sonic out to try to find the signal. “Not in the least. Man’s a complete loon, but there’s generally a reason behind it.”

“Oh, well, as long as there’s a reason to his madness…”

The two women continued toward the house in silence, neither wanting to shout through the wind, rain, and the protection of their coats. Rose found the door locked and was changing settings on the sonic when she heard a gasp and the sound of something being dropped behind her. Frowning, she turned to see what it was.

“Martha, are you-“

Quite suddenly, everything went black and her ears popped. Next thing she knew, she was smacking into a brick wall. Sliding down it, she barely noticed Martha next to her as she caught her breath and tried to get everything to stop spinning. Her eyes were only just beginning to focus when the other woman groaned.

“Oh, god, what happened?” Rubbing her temples, she looked around them, eyebrows shooting up in surprise. “Rose, where the hell are we?”

Pulling her coat off her head, Rose brushed hair out of her face as she looked around the dirty alley. She slowly stood and brushed herself off before helping Martha up. Fiddling with settings, she waved the sonic about, not sure it could tell her anything or, if it could, she’d know how to read it. She sighed.

“I don’t know. I know we’re no longer at the creepy house and that we’ve lost the signal.” Stepping away from the wall, she looked up and down, looking for any sign of when or where they were, the TARDIS, or the Doctor. She’d begun walking toward the opposite wall to look at a poster when she first sensed, and then heard, the Doctor flash into existence behind her. She ran over to him and knelt down, ignoring the dizzy feeling she got from the sudden movement.

“Doctor! Are you okay?”

He rubbed the back of his head and nodded slowly. “Yeah, I will be. Time travel without a capsule has got to be the second least pleasant thing to do, the first being stuck in an elevator with a Dalek and a Cyberman.” He laughed at his joke and grimaced. “Ow. You okay?”

She nodded. “Yeah. Doctor, what happened?”

“Not sure, but I have a feeling the answers are in this folder.” Handing it to her, he carefully stood up, bracing himself on her shoulder and the wall. “Any idea when we are yet?”

“Yup.” Both turned to Martha has she headed toward them holding a newspaper. Stopping, she looked down at the paper before holding it up for them to see.

Rose’s eyes went wide when she saw the date. “Oh.”

The Doctor squinted, unable to focus his eyes. “What does it say?”

“1969.”


	13. Chapter 13

“Let me see if I have this right: you asked me to travel with you because some woman named Sally Sparrow asked you where I was when she gave you this folder?”

“No. Well, yes…” The Doctor sighed and leaned back in his chair, rubbing the back of his neck. “I met Sally a month or so ago while on a scavenger hunt with Kari. She asked where you and Rose were and didn’t seem to recognize Kari. She also gave me this folder, telling me I’d need it someday. So I knew I would meet _a_ Martha at some point, I just didn’t know when. I had no idea you were that Martha when I asked you to come with us, though I think some part of me knew.”

Martha nodded slowly as she continued to sift through the letters, pictures, and various notes Sally had assembled. It seemed she’d spent quite a bit of time on it over the last year, which just added to Martha’s confusion. All of this had apparently happened to Sally a year ago, but Martha had only just met the Doctor and Rose. Closing her eyes, she rubbed her forehead as a headache started to form.

Rose picked up a DVD case and turned it over, scrutinizing it. “We’re not gonna be stuck here until DVDs are invented, are we? Because that’s not for another, what, thirty years?”

He shook his head as he read over a page of notes. “No, seems we’ll meet someone named Billy Shipton at some point. We’re to give him the list of DVDs and a recorded message to put on it.” He picked up another piece of paper. “This seems to be Sally’s side of the conversation for that message.”

Martha sighed and picked up a sheet with three addresses on it: one for Wester Drumlins, which was apparently the creepy house, one for a shop she and Rose were to apply for jobs at, and another for a flat. She stared blankly at it, wondering how this Sally person had gotten all this information. Not just that, but there’d been time-appropriate money in the folder; enough for them to get food, clothes, and pay for at least a month’s rent on the flat.

Looking up, she watched the Doctor and Rose curiously, heads together as they poured over every bit of information. When she’d agreed to stay on with them, she definitely hadn’t had something like this in mind. Traveling through space and time looking for their friend was one thing, but being stuck with them in a flat in 1969? If the clothes didn’t drive her nuts, their ever-rising sexual tension sure as hell would.

The Doctor seemed to notice her staring at them and offered an apologetic smile.

“I’m sorry, Martha. I honestly had no idea this was going to happen. However, even if I had, I couldn’t have told you for risk of you deciding to go back home.”

She tapped the picture on the table and nodded. “This is another one of those ‘effect before cause’ things, isn’t it?”

“Yep, ‘fraid so! But, look at the bright side,” he leaned back, putting one arm around Rose’s shoulders while he gestured around the diner with the other. “It’s the swinging 60s in London! Great music, great fashion, great art. In just a couple of months, Woodstock will happen, making one of the biggest musical and political statements of the era.” He smiled fondly. “I don’t think I’ve ever been so filthy and had so much fun in all my lives. That’s how I got my coat.” He nodded to his long trench coat draped over the chair by Martha. “Janis Joplin gave me that coat after I ruined what I was wearing in a giant mud fight.”

Martha turned a raised brow to Rose, who seemed to be the best gauge for knowing just how full of it the Doctor was. She nodded in reply.

“It’s true, I was there. Didn’t quite fit him, though; had to tie it around his waist. Jimi Hendrix gave me a lovely poncho to cover up with.” She sighed. “I miss that poncho. Accidentally set it on fire while running from those dragon creatures on Jilaxian 9.”

Martha now had both eyebrows risen as she looked between the two of them, sure that they were either taking the piss or were just completely barmy. She really hoped it was the former if she was going to be living with them for an undetermined period of time.

Taking one last, long drink of his soda, the Doctor gathered everything they’d spread across the table and shoved it back in the folder. Standing, he reached across and grabbed his coat.

“Well, no time like the present to go get this flat taken care of, eh?”

Popping another chip in her mouth, Rose followed suit, slipping her hand into his.

“And after, we can go shopping, yeah?”

He wrinkled his nose. “Do we have to, Rose?”

She rolled her eyes. “You don’t have to go if it’s going to be that painful for you. I’m sure Martha and I can manage just fine on our own.”

Martha smirked. “Probably better since we have to do some clothes shopping.”

She didn’t miss the slight spark of interest in the Doctor’s eyes, or how he looked Rose up and down out of the corner of his eye, at the mention of clothes shopping. Shaking her head, she followed them out of the diner, dreading the days to come and really hoping the flat had two bedrooms.

~*~&~*~

The Doctor quietly and calmly sipped his tea as he enjoyed the view from the walkway outside their third-story flat. Once he’d gotten over the initial shock and uneasiness of the situation and allowed himself to relax a bit, he realized he actually quite enjoyed it.

They’d all fallen into a fairly regular routine with the girls heading off to work and him working on getting them back. Rose had taken to staying up late with him, helping to work on the timey-wimey detector (the name alone providing her no end of amusement on his behalf) or piece together what they needed to do next.

But it was these moments, early in the morning when the only things awake were the sun, birds, and him, that he found to be some of his favorites. He was always running, moving, going that he’d forgotten how important stopping occasionally was. Not often, but enough to not take the little things for granted.

Letting his eyes slide closed, he took in a slow, deep breath, filling his lungs with the early morning air. Exhaling, a smile crept across his face as he heard the door open and close quietly behind him. Lifting his arm, he opened his eyes and smiled down at Rose as she slid underneath it, nuzzling into him. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy this part, too.

“Morning.”

He kissed the top of her head before looking back out over the courtyard. “Morning. Sleep well?”

She nodded, hugging her cup as she sipped her tea. “Yeah. You sleep at all?”

“About an hour, from 2-3, not long after you went to bed.”

She chuckled. “You mean after you carried me to bed.” She looked up at him, one delicate, gorgeous brow raised. “You keep doing that. Why can’t you just leave me be when I fall asleep on the floor or couch while you’re working?”

He wanted to tell her the truth, that he had to or else he’d spend all night watching her sleep. That it was everything he could do to not comb his fingers through her long, blonde hair or stroke them down her soft cheek. That every little sound she made was beautiful, distracting music to his ears.

Stroking his thumb on her bare arm, wanting more than anything to stroke it over many other parts of her, he settled on the most benign reason.

“Why sleep on the floor or couch when you have that big, comfy bed?”

She shrugged. “I suppose.”

Nuzzling into her hair, he kissed her again, smiling when he felt her breath catch.

“If you would rather sleep on a hard floor, Rose Tyler, who am I to object?”

He tucked her head under his chin, sighing as they both fell into comfortable silence, enjoying the early hour and each other. In that moment, with her warm body pressed against his and scent engulfing him, he decided that if he really had to, he could survive the slow path. As long as he had her, he could survive anything.


	14. Chapter 14

Rose leaned against the wall, arms crossed, as she watched the Doctor work. This was one of her favorite things to do. She loved watching his long, nimble fingers adjust delicate bits of wire. She loved how, no matter how many times he pushed them up, his glasses would always slide down the bridge of his nose. She loved the way his forehead would crinkle when he was focused on a particularly stubborn piece, his face illuminated by the sonic as he tried to force it to do what he commanded.

She also loved how he always – always – knew when she was watching him and never questioned it. Well, not anymore; not since he'd been all leather and ears.

“Rose, could you hand me that bit of string?”

Smiling, she pushed off the wall and knelt down next to him on the floor, picking up the string and handing it to him, allowing her fingers to graze his. The touch lingered a bit longer than necessary.

“How’s the timey-wimey detector coming?”

He shrugged as he took the string, motioning for her to put her finger on it so he could tie it to what looked like a bolt.

“Fine. It'll boil an egg at 30 paces now.”

She chuckled. “Well that’s good. I’ve been getting odd looks at the shop for all the eggs I’ve been buying.”

Her eyes raked over him as they fell into a comfortable silence. Long legs stretched in front of him, crossed at the ankle, as he leaned against the couch. He’d rolled up the sleeves of his Oxford, exposing his manly, hairy arms. She smirked a bit, to herself, as she looked back up at the hair on his head.  Marveling at how great it looked and how much she really wanted to run her hands through it, she was almost surprised when his voice snapped her back to what she was supposed to be doing.

“Rose?”

She barely concealed the shiver that went through her when he said her name. She smiled, hoping her voice kept at a normal octave.

“Yeah?”

“Finger. Please. Here.” He gave her a funny look, just briefly, but quickly diverted his eyes away from her again.

She blinked. “Right.” 

Placing her finger where he'd instructed, her eyes and mind started to wander again. Up long arms, across his strong shoulders, along his slender neck, fighting a strong desire to bury her face in it. Her eyes continued up, pausing on his mouth, slightly open, tongue pressed to the back of his teeth in concentration. She found herself wondering where else he could press it, and how it would feel. 

When she finally made it to his eyes, she jumped when she found them on her. “What?”

He smirked just slightly – a subtle twitch at the corner of his lips. “I should be asking _you_ that.”

She pulled her hand back and looked away, hoping he couldn't see her blushing in the dim light of the sitting room. “Nothing.” Flinching, she cursed herself for the high pitch that betrayed her and cleared her throat. “Nothing," she said again. "Why?”

He chuckled quietly. “You're the one who's having difficulty concentrating.”

Her eyes flicked down to where her finger had been, and then along the string to where it ended on his lap... She shook her head slightly before looking back up at him. “Don't need much concentration to hold something in place with my finger, now do I?”

He smiled knowingly, but looked away, back down at his project. “Not what I meant.”

She frowned and felt her face get hotter. Among other things. Shifting, she fidgeted with the hem of her shirt as she tried to pull her wandering thoughts under control. “I have no idea what you _do_ mean. My concentration is just fine, thank you.”

“I'm surprised.” He kept his head down as he looked up with just his eyes, locking hard onto hers, smirking at her. “I never realized that somebody could give off so many pheromones with their concentration still being completely intact.”

Her eyes went wide and she was sure her face was going to burn off from the now head-to-toe blush. She clenched her hands, twisting them into her shirt. “Yeah, well, guess I'm just full of surprises. Now, where do you want my finger?”

His grin widened just slightly, a subtle look that made her wonder if his thoughts might not be too far from hers. Letting her question hang for a moment, he sat back and pulled off his glasses, dropping them on the sofa behind him. His eyes sparked, and he reached for her hand, bringing it up and kissing the back of her finger with slightly parted lips.

She swallowed, wondering if he was going to pull it into his mouth. No, hoping he was. She licked her lips, eyes never leaving his. “So, there then?”

He never took his eyes off of hers as he dropped his head slightly and nuzzled the inside of her wrist, breathing deep. “I can think of a few places, actually.”

“Oh yeah?” Instinctively, her fingers curled into his hair, combing lightly. “Such as?”

He leaned into her touch, letting his fingertips trail lightly up her arm. “That's a good place.”

She shivered, eyes drifting to her hand as she moved just a little bit closer to him. She watched as her fingers buried themselves in his hair; it felt even better than it looked. Absently, her other hand came up, fingertips tracing lightly over his sideburn, cheek, the bridge of his nose. Her eyes finally made their way back to his as her thumb gently ran across his lips. She smiled.

“Hi.”

“Hi.” He moved an arm around her waist and pulled her closer, setting his gadget aside, next to his glasses. “I somehow get the impression you're feeling ignored.”

She startled at that, tilting her head and shaking it slightly. “No...” Suddenly feeling very self-conscious, she pulled her hands away and folded them in her lap. “What gave you that impression?”

Still smiling, he eyed her curiously. But he didn't speak. Instead, he simply pulled her into his lap with the arm still around her waist, helping her to regain her balance as she settled.

She raised a brow. “That didn't answer my question, Doctor.”

“The amount of time you've been spending entertaining yourself, inside your head.” He paused, watching her carefully to see if she'd deny it. “I've noticed.”

Her eyes grew wide as she shifted slightly in his lap. Oh, and there was the blush again. “Doesn't mean I'm feeling ignored.” She ducked her head. “Just got better things to think about than a timey-wimey detector.”

“Such as?”

“Such as…” Refusing to look up, she fidgeted with his tie, allowing the soft silk to run between her fingers, pondering how it would feel tied over her eyes. Swallowing, she shook her head slightly. “Well, such as how stupid a name like 'timey-wimey detector' is.”

He chuckled, rubbing gently at the small of her back. “But accurate.”

“Mmmhmm.”

Her eyes slid closed as an ever-persistent groan tried to escape. It was everything she could do to not bury her face in his neck and breath deep. Or to yank on his tie and snog him till both of their respiratory bypasses kicked in. Her hand clenched around said tie and she took a couple deep breaths, though they failed to have the calming affect she’d intended. Instead, she just ended up slightly dizzy as his scent practically overpowered her.

“And there's those pheromones again…” He eyed her curiously. “Who would've thought that tinkering around with bits of wire and string would make you so... interested.”

The groan finally escaped as another shiver shot through her, the combination of his breath against her neck and vibration from his chest as he spoke shook her to her core. She chuckled, not releasing her grip on his tie as her other hand fisted in her shirt.

“Oh, you have no idea!”

He chuckled. “I should tinker around with gadgets more often.”

She turned her face into his chest, trying to muffle her response, her thoughts scattering even more as she took in another lung full of _him_. “I can think of way better things to tinker with than gadgets."

His tone was full of innocence, seemingly oblivious to the effect he was having on her. But he couldn't possibly be. He'd even pointed out the pheromones. He knew full well what he was doing to her. “What do you mean?”

What little control she’d been keeping started to snap. Keeping what had become a white knuckled grip on his tie, her other hand found its way up the back of his head and into his hair. She placed a trail of hot kisses up his neck, nibbling the lobe of his ear before pressing her lips next to it.

“Me, for instance.”

She could feel his smile as he turned his face toward her to whisper back into her ear. “You need fixing?”

“You could say that.” Pulling back slightly, she smiled as she met his eyes. She licked her lips hungrily as her eyes flicked to his mouth. His gorgeous mouth. Leaning in, closing the small gap, she ran the tip of her tongue along his lips, tracing them and pulling the bottom one between her teeth, nibbling before releasing it.

He followed her, pressing his lips against hers in a firm, slow kiss. But he pulled back slightly as her lips parted, teasing her, never quite giving her the full contact he knew she wanted. He was enjoying the game entirely too much.

Growling slightly, she used the hand tangled in his hair to keep him from moving as she crushed her lips to his, parting instantly, coaxing him to follow suit.

He smiled into the kiss and finally returned it, sliding his tongue along hers and exploring her slowly, deeply.

Her eyes slid closed, groaning, his taste mingled with his scent intoxicating. She dragged her nails across his scalp as she finally released his tie only to start loosening it.

The feel of his tie loosening made him pause briefly, but he didn't pull away. One hand still resting passively on her back, the other on her hip, he nuzzled her as he tipped his head down, breaking the kiss but leaving his lips so near to hers, she could still taste his breath.

“What are you doing?”

“Hmm?” 

Her eyes opened slowly, fixing on deep chocolate ones. They were ancient and infinite and she wanted to fall into them. It took her a few moments of being lost in his eyes before she realized he'd asked her a question. What was it again? Right, what was she doing. What was she doing? Tearing her eyes away from his, she looked down at her hand as it fumbled with his tie. 

“Oh.” She looked back up at him. “Undoing your tie.”

He didn't answer her, just watched her eyes for a moment, then lowered his own to the top of her shirt. He let them linger there, then finally reached up to trace the neckline.

Her breath hitched, her skin tingling where his fingers grazed it. She trailed the fingertips of the hand in his hair across his jaw and down his neck before using it to assist the other with his tie. She carefully, delicately untied it and slowly pulled it out from under his collar, placing it on the couch behind him. Her eyes studied his face as she began undoing the buttons on his Oxford, pausing between each one, challenging him to stop her.

He didn't stop her. He only watched his fingertips as they traced lightly down the column of buttons from her collarbone down to her waistline. With a mysterious, knowing smile, he caught her gaze again as he unfastened the top button with nimble fingers.

Placing both hands on his chest, she shifted until she straddled him. Her eyes flashed as she returned his smile, tugging his shirt out of his trousers, taking care of the last few buttons. Splaying her fingers across his tight, muscular stomach, she ran her hands up slowly, through the soft hair on his chest, across his collarbone, to his shoulders, pushing his shirt off of them.

He didn't rush, fingers working painfully slow on the second button, then slipping inside to lightly trace the edge of her bra. Finally breaking his gaze away from hers, he dropped his head as he pulled her closer, and set a few warm, wet kisses on her collarbone.

She moaned, his lips cool against her hot flesh. Leaning into him, she tilted her head, giving him better access as his kisses trailed up her neck.

He nuzzled her gently, letting her feel his breath on her sensitized skin as he slowly worked down the rest of her buttons, one at a time. “It's been a _very_ long time since I've done anything like this.”

“Mmmhmm, me too.” She dipped her head down, running the tip of her tongue down his neck, grazing her teeth across his shoulder before retracing her steps, tracing the shell of his ear. Kissing along his jaw, she smiled against his lips as she met his eyes with half-lidded ones. “Too long.”

Finally, he reached the bottom of her shirt, and untucked it before slipping his hands inside, around her waist to her back. He held her gently but firmly, fingertips brushing up and down her spine as he inched his way up to the clasp of her bra. “You wanna take this to the bedroom?”

She nodded as she ran her fingers through his hair again. She'd never get tired of that. “Probably should. Less chance of getting interrupted.”

He smirked. “I was thinking more about the fact that the scenery is better suited for all the things I want to do to you.” He leaned in closer, drawing her earlobe gently between his teeth. “And the fact that you're not going to want to move by the time I'm finished.”

She leaned back, brow raised. “Oh really? Thought about this much, have you?”

He raised a brow to match hers, still smiling. “And you're going to try to tell me you haven't?”

She studied him for a moment, trying to gauge how serious he was. His gaze never wavered, instead almost challenging her to make the next move. Returning his smirk, she stood and offered her hand.

“Time to show me those moves, Doctor.”


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's where the Mature rating and tags for explicit sex come in. Enjoy!

The safety of the closed door wasn't quite sufficient. He locked it as well. Then he stood still for a long moment, just watching her, before he stepped closer and pulled her unbuttoned shirt completely free of her skirt and dropped it in a wrinkled heap on the floor.

She gasped, though whether from the cool air on her exposed skin or his brashness he couldn't tell. She glanced down at the divested shirt before meeting his gaze again, brow raised.

“Got something against it, then?”

“It was in my way.”

“That so?” She swallowed and licked her lips, eyes grazing his bare torso. “Suppose we're even now.”

“Almost.” He watched her eyes as he traced his index finger along the underside of her breast, barely touching. “You're still wearing more than I am.”

She nodded, slightly breathless as a shiver shot through her. “I am.”

“We'll have to fix that.” 

The way she seemed to waver between confidence and anxiety made him smile. It wasn't terribly different from what he was feeling, although he had centuries of practice to learn how to hide it. He wanted her; he knew he did, and he was tired of lying to himself, trying to convince himself otherwise. He'd played this moment so many times, over and over again in his mind. In guilt first, and the nagging awareness that he shouldn't feel this way towards her, that it was unsafe and even indecent. And when he'd simply grown tired of warring with his own thoughts, when he'd finally given himself over to them, his mind had wandered so far down this path that he'd shocked himself with the thoughts that he'd entertained.

Eyes locked on his, as she reached back and undid the clasp. Slowly, shyly, she slid the straps off her shoulders, leaving them half down her arms as she hugged herself. She worried her bottom lip as her confidence continued to slip.

He smiled as the straps slid down her arms, and hooked his fingers in them to pull them the rest of the way down, gently moving her hands to her sides and baring her to his gaze. “You're beautiful.” He watched his fingers as he trailed back up her arms, along her collarbone, between her breasts and then slowly, lightly across the peak of her nipple, lightly sensitizing nerves.

Gasping again, her eyes slid closed as she arched slightly into his touch. “Thank you.”

He raised his hand to trace her lips lightly before leaning in to kiss her, pulling her close to him, skin against skin. She was so warm, it was shocking. Burying a hand in her hair, he cradled her for a moment. Then, finally, he let his hands wander. Along her arms, over her hips, tracing the waistline of her skirt.

Slowly, she relaxed, regaining some of her earlier confidence. Her hands skimmed up his sides and chest, across his collarbone, over his shoulders, into his hair. Pressing against him, a moan escaped as she parted her lips to him. She slid her tongue along his, savoring and exploring.

Hands on her hips, he took a step, guiding her back toward the bed. Never quite breaking the kiss, he tugged the zipper down on the back of the skirt before pushing her gently down onto the bed. He braced himself over her, kisses trailing along her jaw, down to her neck, savoring the salty taste of her skin.

She hummed as she tilted her head, giving him better access. Her hands moved from his hair, down his neck, across his shoulders, nails digging in slightly as his teeth grazed her pulse points.

He moved down, drawing her breast into his mouth and pressing his tongue firmly against her nipple. His hands were pushing at her loosened skirt, guiding it down past her hips. His mind was wandering over all of the things he wanted to do with her, to her. All of the things he had done so many times over in his mind...

Using his shoulders for leverage, she lifted her hips, helping with the removal of her skirt. Her breathing deepened as she moaned, arching her back, urging him on.

Reluctantly, he finally pulled away from her to drag her skirt all the way down her legs. He took the opportunity to quickly unfasten his own slacks as well, kicking them off the side of the bed before he turned his attention back to her, letting his eyes linger on her soft, smooth skin for a long moment. His hands itched to touch her, but he waited, appreciating the view he had of her until he couldn't stand it any longer.

She bit her bottom lip and gave a quiet whimper, shifting under his gaze. With pleading eyes, she met his as she grazed his arm with her fingertips. “Doctor...”

He raised a brow innocently, only half-hiding his smile. “Hmm?”

She shifted, sitting up slightly so she could reach his hand and tugged on it. “'Mere.”

Intertwining his fingers with hers, he slid her hand along the mattress as he leaned over her again, bracing himself so he didn't crush her as he felt the heat of her skin warm his.

Running the fingers of her free hand through his hair, she pulled him down and kissed him softly. Her eyes danced as she smiled up at him. “That's better. Like you better up here.”

He teased her lower lip for a moment before pulling back and looking down at her. “What else do you like?”

“This.” Leaning up, she kissed him again, soft and slow. “Yup, definitely like that.”

He chuckled softly, returning her kiss and slowly shifting his weight onto his other arm to free a hand. He ran it slowly down her side, and then tipped her hips towards his, letting her feel his arousal. “I can suggest a few other things that you might like.”

A soft moan escaped as she raised a brow and smirked. “Oh yeah? Like what?”

He smiled as he slipped a few fingers under the edge of her knickers, caressing her skin lightly, inching ever closer to the apex of her thighs. Watching her eyes, he finally pushed her back again, parted her legs slightly with his, and found the warm, wet spot between them, slipping his fingers inside of her to explore her depths.

Her eyes rolled back and she squeezed his hand as the one in his hair fell to the bed and twisted into the blankets. She moaned and nodded. “That. I like that.” Gasping as he plunged deeper, the moan turned into a breathy laugh, a wide smile forming on her face. “God, yes, more of that.”

He laughed quietly, moving his thumb to massage the bundle of nerves that was already swollen with arousal. He leaned down, lips to her ear, nipping lightly at the lobe as he smiled. “Like that?”

“Mmmhmm.” She thrust her hips into his hand, seeking more friction. Turning her head, she laid a trail of hot, wet kisses up his neck, along his jaw, until she found his lips with hers. She groaned into the kiss as she plunged her tongue into his mouth, her free hand releasing the blankets to drag her nails across his back.

He let the kiss linger, deep and intense, and groaned at the dull pain of her nails on his skin. It made him want her even more. Pulling back slowly, he smiled knowingly down at her. “You know, in all the times I've thought about this, about you... there's always one thing I couldn't quite place.”

She bit her lip, a long, low moan escaping before she was able to open her eyes and meet his. Her chest heaved under him as she tried to get the air and strength to speak. “Whahhh...” She groaned and gulped in another breath. “What's that?”

He withdrew his hand slowly, carefully, and reclined comfortably for a moment as he studied his fingers, glistening with her fluids. Then, watching her eyes, he gave her a knowing grin and licked his fingers clean, drawing just the tips into his mouth to suck them. The taste of her, salty and smooth and complex, was better than he could've imagined.

She whimpered, a small pout forming as she squirmed under him, hips thrusting into his arousal.

He chuckled again, and traced her pouting lips lightly with those same fingers before leaning down to kiss her deeply, letting her taste herself in his mouth. Moving his hand down to her waist again, this time he had a mission. He wanted this barrier between him and her gone. He wanted to feel her warmth and wetness around him, clenching down around him. The well-rehearsed snapshots of pleasure and passion – the ones that had gotten him to sleep at night for what seemed like forever now – were stronger in his mind now than they had ever been. Within his grasp. He could smell and taste and feel her. And it awoke something in him that hardly cared about the right and wrong of it all, the logic and the consequences and the dangers. None of it mattered. The only thought that felt _real_ in his mind, was the desire to be close to her, to be inside of her.

She shifted her hips up, providing any assistance she could to the dispersal of barriers. Lips still moving against his, tongues clashing, her free hand made its way to the top of his pants, fingers tracing before sliding in and grasping his length. She smiled into their kiss as her hand stroked slowly, her thumb running over the tip, eliciting a moan from deep within him.

Once her knickers were out of the way, his were easy to shove down. His hips pressed forward, into her hand, encouraging her touch. Finally breaking the kiss, he dropped his head and raked his teeth along her jaw.

“Rose... I want you...”

Meeting his eyes, she released him and brought her thumb to her mouth, slowly sucking his juices off it. Smiling, she ran it over his lips. “I want you, too, Doctor.”

He watched her closely, intently, as he lined himself up with her entrance and slowly, gently, pressed his hips down on hers. The heat of her body almost burned, and it made his eyes roll back as he let out a long, slow breath, mingled with her name.

She sucked in a breath as he entered her, the hand still entwined with his squeezing as she adjusted to him. Wrapping her legs around his waist, she rocked her hips, setting a slow, steady pace.

His eyes never left hers as he moved deeper with each gentle thrust. He didn't want to hurt her. But the pleasure was more intense than he remembered it ever feeling before. His breath was coming in pants now, and he tried to pace it with the movements of their bodies together, letting her show him how fast or slow she wanted him to move.

Her rhythm gradually picked up, hisses of discomfort giving way to moans of pleasure. She cupped his face and pulled him down slightly, leaning up and kissing him softly, lingering for a moment. Pulling away, she smiled up at him as she traced his lips, nose, and cheek with her thumb.

“I love you. You know that, right? Have for a long time.”

He smiled faintly, breathing hard, nuzzling against her hand. “I love you too, Rose Tyler... “

Her smile grew wider. “Mmm, I like that.” Snaking her fingers into his hair, she got a good grip before thrusting hard into him, gasping in his ear as she pressed her lips next to it. “Say it again.”

“I love you.” He uttered the words without thought, then processed them slowly before he whispered them again. “I love you more than breath itself, Rose. I was born loving you, and I'll die loving you. Nothing could ever change that...”

Letting go of his hand, she wrapped both arms around his neck, pulling him to her and crushing her mouth to his. Her thrusts became quicker, more erratic, her heels digging into his bum, urging him on. Pulling away, gasping, she beamed up at him, eyes wet and glistening with tears.

“You have no idea how happy I am to hear that.”

He felt his eyes roll back as the pressure between his legs grew, tightening, twisting his emotions into a knot as he thrust harder, deeper. He couldn't think, couldn't find words to answer her. Instead, he only whispered her name as he felt his body respond entirely of its own accord, and his mind was full of nothing but her as he released inside of her warm, welcoming body.

She thrust into him a few more times before he collapsed on her. Hugging him tight, she turned her face into his neck, kissing it softly. Running a hand into his hair, she scratched his scalp lightly and nuzzled his cheek.

“Um, Doctor? I think we may have forgotten about something very important.”

His thoughts were only half coherent as he tried to process her words, still breathing heavily as he rested his forehead on the cool pillow. He could feel his temperature still rising as his body reeled, and he was glad for the open window against the far wall.

“Hmm?”

She continued scratching and massaging his scalp as the other hand gently ran up and down his back. “We've forgotten something. Or, rather, someone. Namely, me.”

He chuckled softly. “Not in the least, Rose.” He drew in a steadying breath, and turned his head to kiss the soft pressure point behind her ear, rubbing his cheek against her hair. “I told you. By the time I'm done with you, you're not going to be able to move.”

She laughed, turning to look at him as best she could. “As delightful as that sounds, remember that one of us has to work tomorrow.”

“Plenty of hours for recuperation between now and then.”

“That so?” Bucking her hips and getting a leg under her, she used all of her strength to roll him off of her. Rolling with him, she got him on his back and straddled him. She smirked down at him as she laced her fingers with his, pinning his hands above his head. “Hmm, think I quite like this, too.”

He smiled, and let his eyes slowly rake over her, down from her neck and along the curve of her breasts. His breathing had not quite returned to normal, and he ran his tongue over the inside of his teeth as he felt it hitch again.

“I have no complaints.”

She leaned down and nuzzled his nose. “I bet you don't.” Kissing him, she lingered just until his lips started to part and pulled away, smiling. “Don't think I didn't notice you teasing me earlier. Two can play that game.”

He chuckled quietly, pressing up on her grip just to make her tighten it a bit more. “In that case, do your worst, Rose Tyler.”

She kissed him again. “Mmm, as tempting as that offer is, I do believe you're supposed to making it so I don't want to move.” She rocked her hips against him a couple of times. “From where I'm sittin', I can move plenty. You, on the other hand...”

He smiled. “Better let me up, then.”

Her eyes never left his as she gradually loosened her grip and slid her hands down his arms, resting them on his chest, one over each heart, as she sat up. “Suppose I need to get off of you, too.”

He nodded slightly, and sat up as she shifted. “Lie on your stomach.”

Eying him curiously, she did as he instructed, resting her head on her arms.

He started at her feet, squeezing and massaging gently, focusing on each muscle and tendon in her arch, around her ankles, up to her shin. Taking his time, he watched her reactions as he moved all the way up to her lower back, then started on the other leg. He didn't speak, quiet and relaxed as he finished with her legs and massaged her lower back, carefully working around each vertebra, each rib as he moved higher, all the way to her shoulders. He let his mind wander as he pulled her hair gently aside and rubbed her neck, then finally leaned down to place a warm, wet kiss at the base of her skull.

She smiled, eyes closed, and nuzzled her head further into her arms. “Mmm, keep that up and I won't want to move because I'll be asleep.”

He laughed quietly, and moved his kisses to her ear before whispering for her to turn onto her back. He straddled her once she had settled and guided her arms to the pillow beside her head, leaning down to kiss from her palm to her wrist to her forearm to the inside of her elbow... He worked one hand gently between her legs again and stroked gently as he kissed across her collarbone, over her throat and along her jaw. before claiming her mouth in a slow, deep kiss.

She gave a deep sigh that ended in a moan. Her arms fell lazily across his shoulders, hands linked behind his neck, as she deepened the kiss. Legs spreading wider, she rocked her hips against his hand, first matching and then trying to accelerate his rhythm.

He stroked in and out of her a few times, smelling her arousal, mingled with his own, marking scent. He smiled as he watched her writhe, then finally withdrew his hand and gave himself a few quick strokes to harden his erection back to fullness. Moving over her again, he parted her legs wide with his, poised at her entrance, watching her as he held himself just out of reach, teasing them both.

She whimpered, hips rising, trying to reach him. “Doctor, please...”

Exhaling a long breath, he lowered his hips to hers, sliding smoothly into her warmth, penetrating her deeply. He dropped his head and kissed her as he wrapped a leg around hers and turned, rolling onto his back and pulling her over top of him.

Wobbling slightly, she placed her hands on his chest, balancing as she rocked on him, quickly building momentum. Head hanging down, she dug her nails into his flesh as she ground her hips into his, moans deep and guttural, breaths coming in short pants.

He met her thrusts, matching her pace, watching her hair brush back and forth over her shoulders as her whole body rocked. She was beautiful, and he was captivated by the sight of her, hands on her hips, watching her in fascination as she drowned in her pleasure.

Her head came up as she arched her back, exposing her face, slick with sweat, her blonde hair stubbornly adhering to it. Eyes closed and mouth open as moans turned into loud prayers to deities, proclamations of love, and demands for him to go faster, harder.

His grip tightened on her hips, raising and lowering her, digging his heels into the mattress as he thrust into her, breathing heavily as his fascination grew. She was so beautiful... so free...

Words were lost to desperate cries as she clenched around him, body trembling as she teetered on the edge. Tensing, cries turned into a long, loud scream of his name as her eyes rolled back and pleasure completely consumed her. After a long, glorious moment, she collapsed on him, shuddering.

He laughed low in his throat as his arms circled around her, guiding her head to his shoulder and stroking her hair gently. “You're so beautiful, Rose.”

She raised a shaking hand to his face, tracing his side burn as she cleared her throat enough to speak. “Thank you. And you were right.” She lifted her head, an exhausted-yet-dreamy smile on her face. “I don't want to move.”

He smiled back, massaging her scalp lightly. “Get some rest, Rose. I'll be here in the morning.”

Nodding, she kissed him before collapsing again and sliding off, draping a leg and arm over him. She hummed as she nuzzled into him. “Love you.”

“I love you too, Rose.”


	16. Chapter 16

Kari massaged her forehead; it was throbbing again. Still? She wasn’t sure anymore. It seemed constant now, right along with the nausea, massive mood swings, and memories of things she didn’t remember doing.

Flinching in pain, she hid her head in her arms. Someone was yelling. Was it her? No, she was pretty sure she wasn’t yelling. Not this time, anyway. Chancing a look, she raised her head slightly and cracked her eyes open.

There were guards in the cell, guns drawn on her. They were the ones yelling. What were they yelling about? As her eyes gained more focus, their voices became clearer. She jumped as what they were shouting finally hit her.

“Drop it!”

She frowned. Drop what? She wasn’t holding anything.

“Drop it now or we’ll shoot!”

“No! Don’t shoot her. She doesn’t know what she’s doing.”

What did Jalal mean she didn’t know what she was doing? She knew full well what she was doing: sitting on the bed trying to keep her brain from leaking out of her ears in protest. But, if she were sitting on the bed, why could she see both beds on either side of her.

Looking down, her eyes grew wide at the blood pooling around her. Where was it coming from? Was it hers? Jalal’s? She brought shaking hands into view and saw what the guards were yelling at her to drop: a large shard of blood-soaked glass. Where’d she gotten that? At closer inspection, the floor around her was covered in broken glass. Broken glass and blood.

“The prisoner will drop the weapon or we will shoot! This is the last warning!”

Kari stared at her hands as they shook violently, blood dripping heavily from large cuts. Dropping the glass, she turned them over, not entirely sure they were hers.

Before she could make that decision, large purple ones grabbed her wrists and wrenched her arms behind her back. She didn’t fight; she couldn’t. Jalal was right, she had no idea what she was doing.

As the guards cuffed her, she found the kind Ri’Ciaoan pressed into a corner. Tears flooded Kari’s eyes as they landed on two black eyes, large bloody cuts on Jalal’s face and body, and bruises on her neck in the shape of Kari’s hands. She met Jalal’s eyes briefly before bowing her head as the guards lifted her, carrying her out of the cell.

She allowed herself to go limp in their arms, afraid of what might happen if she became too aware of her surroundings. Last time they’d taken her, she’d attacked them, dislocating the shoulder of one and breaking the nose of the other. She still had the taste in her mouth of the guard she’d taken a chunk out of as they’d strapped her into the chair.

Her head bobbed as they threw her into said chair and began restraining her. A smile started to creep across her face as she looked up at the guard, noting it wasn’t the one she’d bit.

“Last one to do this to me got a piece taken out of their arm.” She licked her lips. “He was delicious. Tasted like chicken. Wonder if you all taste the same.”

Kari laughed as the guard’s eyes went wide in fear, quickly finishing her fastenings and leaving the room. Her head tilted in curiosity as the technician entered the room, hesitating before approaching her.

“Afraid I’m going to hurt you, too? I don’t know why. It’s not like I can really move.” To demonstrate, she tried to pull her hands out of the cuffs, chuckling when the technician jumped back a foot. “Oh, come on! I should be the one afraid of you. You’re the one allowing _them_ ,” she cast a quick glare toward the glass, “to get into my head. Lots up there that no one else should see.” She shrugged, causing the tech to flinch as they attached the probes to her temples. “But it’s not your fault, is it? You’re just following orders; doing your job. What’s the mind of one little human girl in the pursuit of a big, bad Time Lord?”

Casting a glance toward the glass, the technician beat a hasty retreat out of the room, fueled by fear and Kari growling at her. She sneered in satisfaction before looking toward where she knew her captors were watching her.

“So, what’re we looking for this time? You have to know by now that I wasn’t lying about not knowing when and where we were when you took me. You know who I was traveling with, what he is, what his ship is called. What else could there be to find out?”

She looked around as laughter echoed through the room, for once sure that it wasn’t hers.

“Oh, we’re done looking for information, child. What we’re doing now is creating protection.”

Kari frowned. “Creating protection? What’s that supposed to mean? You wouldn’t _need_ protection if you hadn’t taken me!”

“Perhaps protection isn’t the correct word; insurance would be more accurate. The Doctor _will_ pay for his crimes against my people and if I have to use you to ensure that happens, then so be it.”

“What crimes? What, exactly, did he do?”

“He set the wheels in motion for our elected officials to oppress and enslave the poor. It’s because of him that we’re at war now. If he’d just left well enough alone a century ago, none of this would need to happen.”

Kari’s eyes went wide as her fists clenched, rage boiling through her. “A century? All of this over something he did _a century ago_! Just how insane are you, Jaxon? Were you even alive when he set these supposed wheels in motion? How can you even know it was him?”

“I assure you, girl, that I am quite sane and have no doubt that your Doctor is the man that doomed our planet. Now, if you’re quite done insulting me – or even if you’re not – we shall proceed with the next stage in my plan. Get ready; as you already know, this may sting a bit.”

She barely had time to brace herself before the electricity shot through her. Her screams bounced through her head and echoed off the metal walls of the room. Fire-like blood coursed through her veins, feeling like it was going to burn her flesh off from the inside out. Panic swelled as her heart stopped. This was it, the time that it actually killed her instead of just making her feel like she wanted to die.

After what felt like an eternity, the electricity was cut and she slumped forward, breathing heavily. The taste of blood flooded her mouth and her head pounded. Not for the first time she wished it would kill her; make it all stop. She wasn’t sure how much more she could handle.

She waited for the invasion on her privacy; for memories of the past days, weeks, months to flash across her mind like a slide show on crack. But it didn’t come. This time, she was presented with an image of her talking to Rose on the TARDIS. She frowned. When had this happened? They’d talked plenty of times; kind of hard not to do when you travel with someone through time and space for months on end. But this didn’t seem familiar.

Kari couldn’t tell what they were talking about. Rose’s voice was muffled, like she was talking to her from another room instead of standing right in front of her. She frowned, trying to concentrate on the words. Finally, they started to clarify.

“…look for you. You know that, right?”

Kari shook her head. “What’re you talking about?”

Rose sighed and rolled her eyes, obviously annoyed with her. “We’ve been over this, Kari. If you ever go missing, we’re not going to come looking for you. You’re expendable.”

“What? Rose, you’re not making sense. Of course you’d look for me. You’re looking for me right now.” Tears welled in Kari’s eyes as fear crept through her. “Aren’t you?”

Rose gave a short laugh. “Of course we’re not! Why would we? You’re just in the way. We forgot about you as soon as you were taken.”

“No.”

“Oh yes!”

Kari’s head snapped around as the Doctor stepped into view. He was smiling – a sick, satisfied grin.

“Rose is right, Kari, you’ve been forgotten. Must say that we were quite relieved to be rid of you. Don’t know why we put up with you as long as we did, really.”

Hands clenched at her side, Kari shook with anger as hot tears streamed down her face.

“No! That’s not true! This isn’t real!” She spun on her heel and looked up at the ceiling. “I know this isn’t real! Do you hear me?” She flung an arm behind her. “These aren’t the real Doctor and Rose! They would never leave someone behind, not if they could avoid it. Stop trying to fuck with me even more than you already are!”

The fake-Doctor and Rose laughed, causing her to turn back around.

“Who are you yelling at, Kari? No one else is here. It’s just us.”

“Really, Kari, and you wonder why we wanted rid of you. Shouting at the air like that.”

Kari stalked toward her fake-friends. “If this is real, then how do you know I’m missing, hmm? Why would you be telling me you’re not looking for me if we’re actually in the TARDIS?” She looked up again. “How stupid do you think I am?”

Fake-Doctor sighed. “Fine, we’re not real, but what makes you think we come from anywhere but your own subconscious. Clearly you think you’re so worthless that we wouldn’t come looking for you. Why else would you imagine this conversation?”

“He’s right, Kari. How sure are you that we care enough to come looking for you?”

Kari looked between the two of them, her whole body shaking as she slowly shook her head.

“No. No, it’s not true. I know you care. I know you’re coming for me.” Her voice caught in her throat as she took a couple steps back. “This isn’t real. _You’re_ not real.”

Fake-Doctor stepped forward, moving to place a hand on her shoulder and pulling it away when she flinched. He smiled. “We may not be real, but your fears are. You have no way of knowing if you’re right or not.” He took another step toward her, leaning down so he was nose-to-nose with her. “And doesn’t it just _kill you_?”

Her heart raced, chest tight with panic. Eyes darting between the other two, anger mingled with fear at the looks of pity they were both giving her. Her hands clenched and unclenched as she backed away from them. Looking back up at the ceiling, her teeth were clamped tight as she seethed.

“Get out of my head! _Now!_ ”

Turning, she ran down endless corridors until she found what she was looking for. She took a sharp right and sprinted till she came to the edge of the pool, diving in head first.

Gasping, Kari’s eyes flew open, quite suddenly back in the mind probe chamber. Her chest heaved as she stared at the floor, mind reeling from what she’d seen. She knew none of it had been real; that it had been a cruel trick Jaxon was playing. But it had _felt_ so real: their pity and disappointment in her. She had _felt_ their hatred of her. Hatred she knew wasn’t true. Was it?

Her eyes flew to the door as guards came in to disconnect her and take her back to the cell. She noticed one of them had something that looked like a cattle prod. Probably to make sure she didn’t attack any of them again. She gave no resistance as they pulled her out of the chair and cuffed her wrists again, leading her out of the chamber.

She barely registered the pain in her feet as she dragged them, eyes glazed over, the voices of her friends telling her they didn’t care echoing through her mind.

Stumbling as they removed the cuffs and threw her into the cell, Kari groped around blindly until she found a bed and flopped down, pulling the blanket over her as she curled into a ball. She could hear Jalal talking to her, but had no idea what she was saying. She didn’t care. She just wanted to hide; to disappear. For this hell to end.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Warning:** Choking and perceived character death

It was 2 am and Martha was more than a little tipsy. She’d had a fun, and slightly raucous, night out with some new friends and was finally stumbling home. She was probably going to hear about it when she got back to the flat – the dangers of talking to too many people, blah, blah, blah, Time Lord babble – but she didn’t care. She’d had fun. Was better than another night in with those two, watching them fawn over each other and not doing a damn thing about it.

Martha giggled as she tripped up the last step and bumped into the railing. Sliding down it, using it for support, she fumbled in her handbag, looking for her key. Getting frustrated and knowing her flat mates would be up, she gave up and just knocked. She waited for a moment and knocked again. Wait. Check the number. Yup, their flat. Knock again. Frown. Growl as she fumbled again for her key.

After several tries, and dropping it at least three times, she finally got the key in the lock. Turning it, she pushed the door open and stumbled in, barely catching herself before she fell flat on her face in the hallway. She fought with her key, cursing at its stubbornness for not wanting to come out of the lock. Yanking it out with a triumphant “Ha!,” Martha slammed the door shut and tossed her coat and bag in the general vicinity of the hooks.

Hopping on one foot, she pulled her shoe off the other, tossing it toward her bedroom door and repeating the maneuver with the other shoe. What little balance she had gave out for a moment, tilting her into the door jamb. She took a moment to let the room stop spinning before pushing off slowly and making her way to the kitchen.

Martha gazed around the sitting room, surprised it was vacant. Had the Doctor and Rose actually gone _out_? She laughed. Hardly. If it weren’t for work, she was pretty sure Rose wouldn’t leave the flat unless it was to go with the Doctor, and he only seemed to leave when it had to do with getting the TARDIS back.

Her eyebrows shot up as her eyes landed on his discarded shirt and tie.

“What do we have here?”

Holding on to the back of a chair, she moved to pick them up when she decided instead to have a rest in the chair. Slumped quite disgracefully, she stared at the items of clothing, wondering if it actually meant what she thought, when a rather annoying binging started up. Frowning, she looked around for the source and saw the contraption the Doctor had been working on. What did he call it again? A timey-wimey detector? Pfft, even drunk that sounded ridiculous.

Sliding out of the chair, and quite unable to stand, Martha opted to crawl to the closed bedroom door. She hesitated as she raised her hand to knock. What if she was interrupting them? If they were finally shagging, she didn’t want to be the one to stop them. Carefully, she pressed her ear against the door; quiet but for what sounded like light snoring. Good, not shagging.

She knocked and waited. Nothing. Casting a glance at the annoying binging thing, she knocked again, a bit louder. This time she heard movement; rustling and stumbling. Suddenly, the door opened and she was presented with bare feet and brown trousers.

“Martha? Are you okay?”

She followed the legs up to a bare chest and grinned when she saw the Doctor staring down at her, eyebrow raised.

“Hi!” She flung an arm behind her, wobbling slightly as she pointed. “It’s binging.”

He frowned. “Are you drunk?”

She nodded. “Yes, a bit. That thing. It’s binging. Is it supposed to bing?”

Studying her for a moment, he carefully stepped around her and went into the sitting room, picking up the binging thing. He turned some dials and shook it slightly before beaming.

“Yes! It’s found something.”

Martha fell over and sat in the hall, leaning against the door jamb as he proceeded to finish dressing. She raised a brow, mildly amused by the fact that he didn’t seem to care she was watching him and could see _everything_ when he undid his slacks to tuck his shirt in. She’d have to ask Rose later if he normally went commando or if he just hadn’t bothered because he was in a hurry.

He stepped over her again as he made for the front door, setting the thingy down so he could pull his shoes and jacket on. As if suddenly remembering she was still there, he looked down at her and frowned.

“Are you going to be okay?”

She gave a thumbs up. “Absolutely!” Rolling back over on all fours, she climbed up the wall and leaned against it. “Gimme a minute and I’ll go with you.”

He shook his head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. I don’t know what I’ll find and you’re far from stable…”

Lurching forward, she jammed her finger into his chest. “Listen here! I have been stuck here with you two… love birds for a _month_. I’ve endured dismantled toasters, fire alarms going off at all hours of the night, and _hippies_. The dirty, smelly kind. I _never_ get to go on the little adventures. You always do it when I’m at work or sleeping. So, no, dammit, I’m going with you and that’s final!”

Giving a final _hmpf_ , she spun, doing a full circle turn before finally managing to head for her room. Tossing clothes all over, she finally found a regular pair of jeans and t-shirt. Struggling out of her dress, she pulled the clothes on, falling onto the bed more than once. She took a moment to gain her balance, smoothing her hair and shirt before walking back out into the hall, surprised to find he had actually waited for her.

She gave him a short nod before bending down to grab her trainers, quickly putting her hand on the wall to stop her forward momentum. Slipping her shoes on, she slowly stood, trying to hide just how much the world was spinning. She was going, dammit!

Taking a deep breath, she turned to him and smiled.

“Right! Let’s go!”

Rolling his eyes, he pulled his coat on and grabbed hers before opening the door and ushering her out, a more than gentle hand on her back to steady her. Before he fetched the binging thing, he took her by both arms and made her meet his eyes.

“Martha, are you sure you want to go? You don’t have to. In fact, it would probably be better-“

She cut him off with a raised hand, struggling out of his grip.

“I said I’m going and I’m going. Now, give me my coat and grab that… thing so we can get going.”

He sighed and did as she said, closing the door quietly behind them. Eyeing her skeptically, he shook his head and started walking.

“Come on, then, quicker we get this done, closer we are to getting the TARDIS back.”

Grinning, she started after him, instantly tripping over her feet and barely catching herself on the railing. She stood up and straightened her jacket, sticking her tongue out at the back of his head, sure he had rolled his eyes at her. Taking a deep breath, she proceeded, slowly at first, determined to show she was in perfect condition to go on this little errand with him.

~*~&~*~

Jaxon smiled when the door to the probe room opened and two guards dragged the human prisoner in. She’d been gagged and shackled, though it didn’t keep her from fighting them. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t think it was a good look for her. His smile grew as she looked up at where she knew he was, her eyes wide and feral, full of hate and rage.

She screamed behind her gag, glaring at anyone and everyone. He pressed a button on the comms unit.

“Remove the gag; let her speak.”

The guards all looked between each other, finally pushing one forward. Stumbling, he gave his comrades a look of betrayal before slowly approaching the seething girl. Carefully, he reached out and ripped the tape from her mouth.

“Gahhh! Fuck you, asshole! That fucking hurt!”

Jaxon couldn’t help but laugh as the guard tripped over his feet, falling to the floor as he tried to make a hasty retreat from her. Climbing up the leg of one of the other guards, the man scrambled up and ran out the door, the rest following suit as Kari burst out into maniacal laughter.

“Yeah, run fuckers! Don’t want the crazy human remembering who you are, not now that she’s got a taste for purple flesh.”

She gnashed her teeth and growled, spittle forming at the corners of her mouth. Jaxon’s eyes flashed as his smile grew, pleased with the wild animal he’d transformed her into. Not that it had been that difficult; humans weren’t that far removed from beasts as it was.

Once she was alone in the room, her focus returned to him. He found it interesting that, in spite of the fact she couldn’t see him through the two-way mirror, she was able to meet his eyes. She seemed to be able to sense exactly where he was in the room above. Fascinating.

“Time to fuck with the human again, is it? Who’re you gonna drag out of my subconscious this time, hmm? My parents? Best friend? Ex-husband? Gonna have them tell me what a failure I am and how disappointed in me they are? Or what a terrible lover and partner I was?” She snorted. “Don’t bother on that last one. That’s an argument that’s been hashed out a hundred times over.”

He watched her for a moment, studying her as she continued to glare, though her eyes seemed to have cleared for the moment. There was still hate and rage there, but they weren’t as feral; more human and less beast. Deciding he’d let her stew long enough, he pressed the button to speak.

“No, child, none of that. I have no interest in drudging up anything from before your time with the Doctor. He’s all that I care about.”

Before she could respond, he gave the nod for the technicians to turn the probe on, choosing this time to turn off the comms as she screamed in agony. As soon as she fell silent, he flipped the speaker back on and stepped over to the monitor.

“I want the same as last time, only set in the room she’s in now. We need to blur her lines between what’s real and what’s in her head.”

Nodding, the technicians went to work, setting the scene. Once Jaxon had given his approval, they hit ‘Play,’ sending a projection of the Doctor and Rose to her mind. He watched it play out much as before – them telling her what a burden she is and how they’re not searching for her – only now they were in the mind probe room. On a separate monitor, he watched as Kari twitched, her brow furrowing in confusion and shaking her head.

“No. No, that’s not true. What’re you doing here? If you’re not searching for me, why are you here? Hey, what the hell is this? Why are they here, in this room? You know I still know it’s not real, right? I know it’s not real because I know you’d never say that!”

Jaxon’s eyes grew wide with delight as she growled and lunged at the mental projections, her hands wrapping around the Doctor’s neck, knocking him to the ground.

“You’re not real! This isn’t real! Go away! Get out of my head and leave me the fuck alone!”

After a few moments, she let him go, satisfied he was ‘dead’ and turned her attention to her other companion. She stalked ‘Rose’ around the room for a bit, spitting in anger as the projection continued to taunt her. Finally, she took an electric probe from the wall, grinning evilly as she flicked it on and off a few times before jabbing it into ‘Rose’s’ side. She held it there, watching as the fake companion fell to the ground. As soon as the projection gave her last breath, Kari dropped the probe, chest heaving.

With a gasp, she regained consciousness in the real probe room, eyes wide as she looked around in panic, presumably half-expecting her friends to be lying dead. Guards immediately rushed in, gagging and shackling her again before removing her from the chair and room.

Jaxon grinned, more than pleased with the result of the most recent experiment. If everything went according to plan, she’d easily kill the Doctor, thinking he was the projection, and he wouldn’t even have to intervene.

He didn’t realize he was smiling so broadly that all of his teeth were showing until he noticed the technicians had pressed themselves into a corner. He softened it as he bowed his head.

“My apologies. You have both done a most wonderful job and shall be rewarded when I am victorious.”

Nodding to both of the technicians, barely noticing their matching looks of confusion, he turned and left the room, setting a quick pace toward the Unvossians’ quarters. Now that he had his weapon, he was ready for his target.


	18. Chapter 18

The familiar tingle came first, just in the back of her mind. The tingle that had been there since shop window dummies and had gotten stronger over the years. Rose moaned sleepily and rolled over, putting her hand out, expecting it to land on the Doctor. When it met with blankets instead, her eyes flew open, propping herself up on her elbow and looking around the bedroom. It was empty but for her, though his scent still lingered.

She couldn’t help the smile the crept across her face as the memories of just a couple hours prior flooded in. She also couldn’t help the heat that pooled between her legs as she was hit with the smell of sex and sweat and _them_. Smells that seemed to coat every inch of her. She wasn’t complaining.

There was that tingle again, stronger this time, like it was getting closer. Rose shifted, trying to relieve some of the ache between her legs so she could focus on the growing presence in her mind. She knew the presence, had missed it terribly the last few weeks.

Her eyes lit up as the presence started to materialize in their sitting room. Throwing blankets off, she stood and instantly fell, legs still sore and wobbly from their recent activities. Grabbing the edge of the bed, she pulled herself up and sat on the edge, straining her neck to try to see the TARDIS in all her blue glory.

Wrapping herself in a sheet, she stood again, slower this time. Once she’d gained her balance, she hurried out to great her old friend. She froze as soon as her eyes landed on the big, blue box, tears welling up. Slowly, she approached her, laying a gentle hand on the beloved wood paneling.

“Hey, old girl. I missed you! Did you miss us?”

Rose didn’t think her smile could get any wider until she felt a hum through her hand and mind. Sighing, she hugged the timeship, eyes sliding closed as she leaned her cheek on the door.

Suddenly, she wanted – needed – inside. Patting her sides, she cursed when she remembered she was wearing a sheet. Gathering it up, she ran back to the bedroom, wincing slightly from sore muscles. She flipped the light on, tossed the sheet aside, and started digging through her clothes. Her key had to be _somewhere_. Standing, she ran a hand through her hair as she looked around the room, trying to figure out where to look next.

Then it came back to her. Martha had dropped it when the angel touched her and sent her here. Dammit! Pulling on jeans and a t-shirt, she went back out and stared at the TARDIS, trying to figure out how to get in.

Her eyes drifted to where the Doctor had been working on his timey-wimey detector and for the first time since she’d woken up realized he was gone. His shirt, tie, and the detector were missing. It must’ve picked up something. She wondered if he’d gone alone or if he’d taken Martha.

Sighing, she looked back at the box in the middle of the sitting room.

“Figures. You finally show up and all I can do is stare at you until he gets back, and god knows when that’ll be.”

Flopping into the chair, Rose drummed her fingers on the arm, trying to figure out how to get in without a key. It was moments like this she really wished the Doctor would carry a mobile.

A memory fluttered into her mind; something Kari had told her once. Something about the Doctor possibly being able to open the doors by clicking his fingers. She’d thought it ridiculous at the time. And even if he could, would _she_ be able to. Couldn’t hurt to try.

Raising a brow, Rose lifted a hand and clicked her fingers, her grin returning when the doors opened before her. Launching out of the chair, she ran up the ramp, slamming smack into the console. She began making a slow circle, eyes taking in every gauge, every dial, every switch. She closed her eyes for a moment, relishing the feel of the metal grating on her bare feet and the steady hum seeping into her through every pore.

Making a full circuit, she leaned forward and laid her hand on the rotor, tears returning as she stroked it gently.

“Soon, girl. Soon we’ll all be home.”

A flashing light on the console broke Rose out of her reverie. It was the light that indicated they’d picked up the signal for Kari again, but there was something different about it this time. It flashed faster and was green instead of blue. Nearby, another light blinked, this one red. Raising a brow, she brought the scanner around to try figure out what it meant.

She’d been working at it for about half an hour when she heard the door to the flat open. She thought about hollering for them, but knew the Doctor would’ve sensed the ship’s presence, too. Continuing to type, she grinned when she heard a gasp and _whoop_ before he bounded up the ramp.

Rose laughed and shook her head as he proceeded to do the same thing she’d done. He didn’t quite make a full circle, distracted instead by her and what she was doing at the scanner. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he hummed as he kissed her neck.

“What are you doing to my ship, Rose Tyler? And how did you get in without a key?”

She couldn’t contain the groan that escaped as his voice rumbled through her. Leaning back against him, she rested her head against his shoulder.

“I got in by clicking my fingers; neat trick, that. And I’m not doing anything to your ship.” She pointed at the lights in turn. “Just trying to figure out why that light is flashing faster and green and why that one is flashing at all.”

Placing another kiss to her neck and pulling away slowly, he went to investigate the lights. He tapped them, almost expecting something to spring forth.

“Hmm. Well, I don’t know why that one’s changed speed and color, but I imagine it has to do with the message attached to that one.”

She nodded, having gone back to typing. “I figured out that light meant there was a message waiting, just haven’t figured out how to pull it up.”

Bumping her with his hip, he waggled his eyebrows and flexed his fingers.

“Move over, Rose Tyler! Let me show you how it’s done.”

Stepping back, she crossed her arms over her chest and watched him, trying not to show just how impressed she was as his fingers flew over the keyboard. She felt that familiar heat returning as his brow creased and lips parted, tongue pressed to the back of his teeth. Her eyes went wide before narrowing at him as he smirked and shot her a knowing look out of the corner of his. Damn pheromones.

She took a deep, calming breath and turned away, startled to find a very amused Martha standing there.

“Am I interrupting?”

Rose shook her head. “Nope, not at all. Just… trying to figure out who’s left us a voice mail while we’ve been out.”

Martha chuckled. “Right.” She stepped forward and leaned her hands on the console. “So now that this is back, does that mean we’re done here? That we can leave.”

The Doctor nodded absently as he continued to decode the message. “Yup, we’ve got all information passed on that we needed to. Once I figure this out we can go.”

She smiled. “Good! Guess that means we should go pack up then.” Exchanging a glance with Rose, who nodded agreement, she spun and ran back down the ramp and into her room.

Rose watched her leave before looking back to the Doctor. “Where’d you two go?”

“The timey-wimey detector detected something, namely Billy Shipton. We went to meet him and pass on everything we needed to.” He looked up at her and smiled. “Sorry I wasn’t there when you woke up like I said I’d be.”

She returned his smile. “S’kay, you had to go deal with that. And the TARDIS showing up more than made up for it.” Moving back to his side, she kissed him on the cheek and ran her fingers lightly through his hair, smile growing as his eyes slid closed briefly. “I’m gonna go pack up. There anything you need me to grab for you?”

“Nope, got everything I need.”

Nodding, she headed down the ramp, feeling his eyes on her the whole time.

“Oh, and Rose?”

“Yes, Doctor?”

He smiled – a goofy grin that always melted her heart. “I love you.”

She returned his smile, tongue caught between her teeth. “Love you, too, Doctor.”


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Trigger Warning:** Choking

Jaxon looked up as his office door opened, surprised to see a very flushed L’Nay rush in, his personal guard close on her heels.

“I’m sorry, sir, but she-" The guard was silenced by a calmly raised hand from his general.

“It’s alright. She wouldn’t be here if she didn’t have a reason.” He smiled and nodded at the Unvossian. “You have important news, I take it?”

She beamed. “It worked! The time beacon, using the prisoner’s DNA signature, was able to latch onto the Doctor’s time capsule. We’ve transmitted the exact time-space coordinates to it and he’s acknowledged receipt.”

Jaxon returned her smile. “Excellent! How long do we have?”

“Ten minutes.”

Giving a short nod, he directed his attention to the guard. “Find Kalan and take him to the observation room. Then send three or four guards to the courtyard; instruct them to escort the Doctor and anyone else with him directly to the observation room.”

“Yes, sir.” Nodding, the guard turned on his heel and left the office.

Jaxon gestured for L’Nay, who was still out of breath, to have a seat as he reached for his communicator and flipped it on.

“Blake?”

“Yes, sir?”

“Prepare the human prisoner and Jalal. Bring them both to the mind probe room in fifteen minutes. Do _not_ send either of them in until I give the word. Is that understood?”

“Yes, sir. Do you want them shackled, sir?”

“Bound and gag the human, yes. There’s no need to restrain Jalal.”

“Yes, sir.”

Turning off the communicator, Jaxon sat back heavily in his chair, mind swirling as the reality of the situation hit him. All of the pieces were falling into place. Soon, very soon, he would watch the life drain from the Doctor at the hands of his trusted companion. His eyes fell on L’Nay and wide smiles spread across both their faces.

“We’ve done it, L’Nay. The Doctor is on his way here, walking right into our trap.”

Her eyes glistened with delight. “Finally, we will have proper justice for our respective peoples.” She stood and bowed her head. “If you will excuse me, I have a few final things to take care of before his arrival.”

He nodded. “Absolutely. Will you be joining us later?”

“That is my intent.”

“Excellent. Until later, my friend.”

Bowing her head again, L’Nay left his office and him to his thoughts. Standing, he took to his favorite spot at his windows – the one that had the best view of the still-smoking capital building – and clasped his hands behind his back. Forty years he’d waited for this moment, ever since he had learned about the Doctor and one Sarah Jane Smith. About how they had ‘helped’ their people escape a dictatorship and implement a ‘democracy.’ Hmpf, democracy! What kind of democracy allowed over half of the population to live in squalor? To be expected to work for the elite for next to no money and consider it a privilege. Disgust rose in him as memories of having the story of the Doctor shoved down his throat in school, taught as a _good_ thing for their people.

A knock on his door shook him out of his reveries. Turning, he saw his personal guard standing at attention, waiting patiently.

“Everyone is where you have ordered, sir.”

“Very good.” Jaxon’s smile returned as he grabbed his hat, the thrill of finally ridding the universe of the Doctor overpowering the disgust. Nodding to the guard, he gestured for him to follow as he headed out of the office. “Come, time to meet our planet’s biggest celebrity.”

~*~&~*~

“Go away!”

Kari batted at whoever was disturbing her sleep with one hand while pulling the blanket up further with the other. Maybe if she covered her head completely, they’d go away. One could hope.

Growling as they persisted to wake her, she threw the blanket off and sat up, feet landing with a loud _slap_ as they hit the floor. She grabbed on to the edge of the bed as the sudden movement mixed with the persistent throbbing in her head made the whole room spin. It was only just slowing down when her stomach lurched.

With more energy than she thought she had, Kari launched herself off the bed, grabbing the sides of the sink just in time to throw up in it. Spitting a few times, she tried to ignore the blood as she filled a glass with water and rinsed her mouth out, relishing the feeling of the cool liquid down her rough, parched throat.

A hand tapped her on the shoulder, causing her to spin around quickly and lose her balance, toppling onto another bed. Her vision swam, but she was able to tell someone was trying to hand her something. What was it? Closing her eyes and shaking her head, she tried to clear the murkiness and focus. Opening her eyes slowly, she was barely able to see that they were handing her a handkerchief. Nodding, she slowly took it and wiped her mouth.

“Thank you.”

“No problem.”

Her eyes went wide as they snapped up to the owner of the voice and panic overtook her. Throwing the handkerchief on the floor, she scrambled back on the bed, getting as far away from him as possible.

“What’re you doing here?”

The Doctor blinked, surprised by her reaction. “What do you mean ‘what am I doing here’? I’m here to take you home, Kari.” He tilted his head, confused. “Don’t you want to go home?”

She frowned at him. He looked like the real Doctor; sounded like him. But that didn’t mean anything. So did the dreadful projections from the mind probe she’d endured. Wait, was that what this was? Was she back in that damn chair again?

Before she could think more about it, the Doctor took a step toward her, causing her to push herself into the corner more.

“Stop! Just… please don’t come closer, okay? I’m trying to figure out if you’re real or not.”

He smiled and laughed, both things that were so familiar and so foreign to her.

“Of course I’m real, Kari! Why wouldn’t I be?”

She raised an eyebrow. “Oh, no reason. Just some psycho’s been messing with my head. Makes it difficult to trust what’s real and what’s not.”

He nodded. “Yeah, I guess that would make things difficult. But I assure you I’m as real as the bed you’re sitting on.”

Gradually, she relaxed and inched her way out of the corner. Finally breaking from his gaze, she cast about the room and frowned again.

“Where’s Rose?”

He shoved his hands in his pockets and shrugged. “No idea. Probably wandered off and got herself captured or killed. You know how she is. Doesn’t matter now that I’ve found you. Always thought it was too crowded with the both of you.” He scratched the back of his neck. “Mind you, I’d _rather_ have Rose, but I guess you’re a good second. For now.”

Kari’s eyes narrowed as she met his again. “You lying sack of…” She clenched her teeth, nostrils flaring as her breaths came out in hot bursts. Rage boiled in her as she moved to the end of the bed and slid off, blocking the fake Doctor’s path to the door. “You’re not the real Doctor. The real Doctor would _never_ be so nonchalant about Rose – or any of his companions – being in danger. He sure as hell wouldn’t use them interchangeably.”

The fake Doctor’s shoulders slumped and he sighed dramatically. “Fine! You caught me. I’m not real. But you’ve got to admit, I did have you going there for a bit.” He smirked. “Oh, the hope in your eyes was delicious! I almost regret having to smash it. Almost. Ah, well, such is life.”

She flexed her hands a few times, trying to gauge the best angle at which to attack him from. An evil smile tugged at her lips as he turned toward her, giving her the perfect opportunity. With a loud roar, she ran at him, hands wrapping around his throat as she knocked him to the ground.

He didn’t struggle, just laughed as she choked him, just as his previous versions had. Finally, his eyes rolled back and she felt the life drain out of him. Satisfied, she sat back and waited.

With a gasp, Kari sat bolt upright in her bed, eyes immediately going to the floor to make sure there really wasn’t a dead Time Lord there. Head pounding and chest heaving, she pulled herself out of bed and poured a glass of water. At least that felt the same. She frowned as she looked into the sink and saw what looked like blood splatter.

Shaking it off, she set the cup down and turned around, startled to come face to face with four guards, all armed with those cattle prod things and carrying shackles.

Sighing, she stepped forward and held her hands out, only flinching slightly as they clicked the cuffs around her wrists and ankles. As one of them approached her with tape for her mouth, she met his eyes and smiled, giggling when he paused and had to be pushed forward by one of the others.

Once secured and silenced, she had one on each arm as a third followed, ready to prod her if she tried anything, and the fourth led the way. She didn’t put up a fight. She was too tired to. She just slumped forward, making them carry her to their destination. Even if she was too tired to fight, damned if she was going to make it easy on the sadistic bastards.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **Author's Note:** This chapter is considerably longer than normal, but necessary. It was also the most difficult to write.
> 
> **Warning:** Swearing, death, and mental degradation

The control room was dead silent as the sound of the rotor faded. The Doctor was so focused on verifying they were, in fact, in the right time and place that he jumped slightly when Rose spoke, in spite of her voice being barely above a whisper.

“Well? Did we make it?”

“As far as I can tell, yes. We’re at the exact space-time coordinates this L’Nay person left in the message. According to the scanner, it’s been a week since the last time we were here.”

Rose’s eyes grew wide. “Kari hasn’t been here a _week_ , has she?”

“I don’t know, Rose. We won’t know until we see her. Speaking of…” Taking a deep breath, he pushed off from the console and headed for the door, grabbing his coat off a strut and slipping it on. He blew it out slowly as his eyes slid closed briefly, hand resting on the latch. “Right, time to rescue Kari.”

Turning the latch, he stepped out, not at all surprised to be greeted by guards with guns. Normally he’d raise his hands, but they didn’t deserve that luxury. Instead, he casually slipped them into his trouser pockets and took a couple steps forward, giving Rose and Martha room to exit the TARDIS. He leveled a gaze on the one in the middle.

“You in charge here?”

The guard adjusted his gun. “Are you the Doctor?”

He nodded. “I am.”

“By order of General Jaxon, you will all come with us.”

The Doctor smiled and gestured ahead of him. “Lead the way.”

One turned and headed into the building as the other two took up the tail, making sure none of them slipped away. Not that they would. Not this time. The Doctor glanced at Rose and Martha as they fell into step on either side of him.

“Stay close. We’re getting in, getting Kari, and getting the hell out. Got it?”

Both nodded. “Got it.”

Normally, the Doctor would’ve been all for witty banter with the guards, but not today. Today, he just wanted to find his friend and get them all off this planet for good. He sighed internally. There were entirely too many planets that he left never wanting to go back. Or being able to go back. The realization made an ever-expanding universe seem incredibly small.

The lead guard opened a door and gestured for them to go in. Entering, he cast about, taking in his surroundings. It was a control room of some sort. Paying little attention to the people obviously awaiting their arrival, he moved to the control panel along one wall, smiling politely to one of the technicians.

“Excuse me, do you mind…?” The techs exchanged a confused glance and looked to one of the men, who nodded. “Much obliged.” He slipped his glasses on and scrutinized the various switches and buttons, flipping and pushing a few. “Hmm, interesting…” Taking his glasses off, he put them back in his pocket and walked back around the console. “This isn’t yours. Where’d you get it?”

The man who seemed to be in charge stepped forward, extending a hand though he seemed rather confused by the gesture.

“I am General Jaxon, leader of the Ri’Ciaoan resistance. You are the Doctor, I take it?”

He nodded. “I am. Now answer my question; where did you get that?”

Jaxon waited for a moment, hand still extended, before dropping it and smiling politely. “An ally of ours designed it for us some time ago. It comes in very handy when we have prisoners who are unwilling to cooperate with our questioning.”

The Doctor’s jaw clenched, rage starting to rise at the implication the other man was making. His mind raced with all the different ways he could destroy Jaxon with the device before dismantling it. Caught up in his plotting, he barely heard Rose’s question.

“Doctor, what is that thing?”

His eyes never left Jaxon, who was trying to convey a sick innocence over the situation, as he answered.

“That, Rose Tyler, is a mind probe. It allows the user to enter the victims mind, not only viewing their memories, but altering them to depict whatever they want.”

Rose pushed passed him, fists clenched at her sides, her voice low though her rage was barely contained.

“Did you use that on Kari?”

Jaxon turned his sickening smile on Rose, an action that made the Doctor want to rip his throat out.

“Yes, we did. She wouldn’t tell us when and where you were when we took her, so we had to go looking for it ourselves. Imagine our surprise when we found she’d been telling the truth! Well, once we were in there, we figured we should at the very least get as much information on the Doctor as possible.”

Rose made to lunge for Jaxon, but the Doctor caught her arm, pulling her back and stepping in front of her again.

“Where is she?”

Jaxon’s eyes lingered on Rose for a moment before meeting the Doctor’s.

“She should be along shortly.” Looking up, he nodded at one of the guards by the door. “In fact, she’s here now. Well, not _here_...” He nodded toward the large window in one of the walls. “Join me for the show, won’t you?”

The Doctor’s eyes burned into Jaxon as the man turned and went to the window. After a moment, he followed suit, Rose and Martha stepping up next to him. Bile rose in the Doctor’s throat as he took in the scene below: a small, stark, gleaming metal room, its only occupants a chair with restraints and a table with a small, metal box and a couple electric probes; the back of the chair, arm restraints, and floor around it were stained with blood.

His eyes darted to the door as it opened, hearts clenching when he saw Kari. They had her bound in shackles and tape over her mouth. Her hands and feet were bandaged and the pajamas she wore were torn and blood stained. Her eyes were wild and feral as she looked around her, seemingly challenging anyone to come near her.

Rose gasped and took hold of his hand, squeezing tightly. She trembled, anger radiating off of her as she snarled.

“What have you done to her?”

In response, Jaxon pressed a button on a control panel in front of him.

“Remove the tape.”

Afraid to approach her, they all fought over whom would take the tape off, three of them finally pushing one forward. He glared at his comrades before inching toward Kari.

A smile spread on her face in spite of the tape and her eyes danced with glee at the sight of the terrified guard. Reaching out a trembling hand, he grabbed the edge and ripped quickly; yanking his hand back, almost like he was afraid she’d bite it.

“Ahh! Much better!” Her eyes flicked to the chair. “Now, who’s strapping me in there?”

Jaxon pressed a button. “No one this time.”

She took a step forward and looked up at the glass, meeting Jaxon’s eyes. The Doctor had assumed it was two-way glass, but now he wondered if she could see them. He grew even more curious as her eyes scanned where he, Rose, and Martha stood, pausing briefly at Martha before returning to Jaxon.

“Brought an audience this time, huh? Want to show off the wild human?”

“What makes you think there’s anyone else here with me?”

Kari rolled her eyes, a gesture the Doctor didn’t realize he’d missed. It was so very _her_.

“Same way I know _exactly_ where you are even though I can’t see you.”

Before he responded, Jaxon looked at the Doctor.

“Perhaps you can enlighten me on that, Doctor, as I have been at a loss, though admit it is quite intriguing. This is two-way glass; she can’t see us. Yet she has been able to, without fail, meet the eyes of whomever is at this control panel. Do you know why that is?”

The Doctor sighed deeply, eyes never leaving his bound companion as she stared up at her captor, waiting.

“She’s empathic and you’ve probably altered or strengthened it by using that mind probe on her. She can sense you. She can sense all of us.”

Rose looked up at him, frowning. “If that’s the case, shouldn’t she know we’re in here?”

He nodded. “Yes, but it’s possible she doesn’t trust what she’s sensing.”

Jaxon’s eyes lingered on the Doctor a moment longer before pressing the button again.

“Take the restraints off of her and then leave her.”

Kari’s face lit up, a maniacal laugh bubbling out of her as the guards approached her again: one at her wrists, one at her ankles, and two with electric probes, charged and ready to hit her with a high dose of electricity if she so much as breathed maliciously at any of them.

Doubled over, she broke into hysterical laughter as all four guards – each easily a foot taller than her and twice her weight – scrambled to toss the shackles and prods on the table and leave the room. Wiping tears away, she wandered about the room for a moment.

“Huh, now this is different. Haven’t given me free reign before.” She looked back up, brow raised. “What’re you up to?”

“All in good time, Kari. First, you have a visitor.”

Turning, Jaxon nodded to a guard behind him who spoke into a communicator. A moment later, the door to the probe room opened again and a familiar woman was pushed inside.

“Jalal!”

The Doctor looked to see who had made the exclamation, not recognizing him but noting what appeared to be the insignia of Commander. Anger flashed across the man’s face as he turned and grabbed Jaxon by the front of his shirt, shaking vigorously.

“What the hell are you doing? Why’s she in there? She’ll kill her!”

“Good! She’s supposed to be dead, anyway. Imagine my surprise when I was informed you’d lied to me, Commander Kalan.” Growling, Kalan let Jaxon go and turned to storm out of the observation room only to be blocked by two guards. “You’re not going anywhere. Not yet, anyway. Now shut up and watch the show!”

Glaring, Kalan resumed his place at the window, arms folded over his chest.

A gasp from Rose drew the Doctor back to their friend. She’d gotten hold of one of the electric prods and was taunting Jalal with it. The other woman had her hands up and was trying to calm her.

“Please, Kari, I swear I had nothing to do with this. With any of it. I never have.”

Kari snarled, eyes flashing wildly. “Then what are you doing here? How do I even know you’re real?”

“I swear, Kari, I’m real. I’m real and I’m sorry. Sorry for everything you’ve gone through. I know you don’t know what or who to believe. But, please, if you believe anyone, believe _me_.”

Kari put a hand to her head and shook it, like she was trying to shake loose what was real or not. When she looked back up, her features had changed to that of confusion.

“I… I can’t, Jalal, I’m sorry. You shouldn’t be in here! I shouldn’t be allowed to roam free.” She laughed as she waved the prod around. “I sure as hell shouldn’t have this! So how can any of this be real? It doesn’t make sense!”

Without another word, Kari jammed the prod into Jalal’s neck, tears streaming down her face as she ducked away. She didn’t look back up again until she heard Jalal fall to the floor. Dropping the prod, she fell to her knees next to the other woman, sobbing.

“God, I’m so sorry, Jalal! I had to! If you die, I’ll snap back to reality.” She frowned, “Won’t I?”

A lump formed in the Doctor’s throat, knowing full well the pain and confusion Kari was going through. She would never be the same again after this and it was his fault. Part of him wished he was the one lying half-dead on the floor.

Jalal smiled weakly and raised a hand to Kari’s face, cupping it gently. They couldn’t hear what she said, but knew she was gone when her hand fell and Kari buried her face in her hands, rocking back and forth and sobbing.

The Doctor was about to demand to be taken to her when Kalan grabbed his arm.

“Come on. We’ve played his sick games long enough. I’ll take you to her.”

Nodding, the Doctor took Rose’s hand and followed the man out, neither guard impeding their way this time.

Even with his long legs, he had to work to keep up with Kalan, who was slamming through doors and growling at anyone who got in his way. Jogging, he managed to catch up and fall into step with him.

“Who was Jalal? To you.”

“My wife.”

“I’m sorry.”

Kalan shook his head as he crashed through another door. “Don’t be. It’s not your fault, or Kari’s. The only one I blame is that psychopath, Jaxon.”

As they reached the door to the mind probe room, Kalan turned to face him.

“Before we go in there I just want to say…” He sighed, bowing his head. “I’m sorry for everything she’s been put through. I had no idea Jaxon had such a vendetta toward you. If I had, I would’ve done much more to try to protect her.”

The Doctor smiled sadly and put a hand on his shoulder. “Like you said, it’s no one’s fault but Jaxon’s. Now,” he nodded toward the door, “might be better if you go first.”

Nodding, Kalan turned, placed his hand on the handle, took a deep breath, and walked into the room, leaving the door open for them to follow.

The Doctor put a hand up, indicating they wait a moment, and watched as Kari collapsed into Kalan’s arms, sobbing apologies into his shoulder. Slipping into the room, followed closely by Rose and Martha, he waited for Kari to notice them. He shoved his hands in his pockets to hide his clenched fists. The less tension she sensed in them, the better.

A muscle twitched in his jaw as he watched her cling to Kalan. Jalal’s death wasn’t her fault, but she’d never see it that way. She’d always blame herself and there was nothing he could do about it.

He braced himself when Kari’s eyes fell on them. His hearts broke and anger rose at the amount of terror, rage, and confusion he saw in them. Swallowing, he tamped down his anger, doing his best to be as calming and reassuring as he could be under the circumstances.

Terrified, she released Kalan, grabbed the discarded probe, and backed away quickly. Her eyes were wide as she looked at the Doctor, Rose, and Martha in disbelief. Frowning, she looked down at Kalan and pointed at the group.

“Can you see them?”

The Ri’Ciaoan glanced over his shoulder and looked back at her, nodding. “Yes, Kari, I can. They’re here to take you home.”

She continued to back away, holding the probe in front of her, daring anyone to come near her. Moving behind the chair, she shook her head in disbelief.

“No, you’re not real. Are you?” She looked down at Jalal’s prone form. “No, you can’t be real. If you were real, that would mean I just killed her and I wouldn’t do that.” She looked back up at the Doctor. “Why are you here? In this room? What horrible things do you want to berate me with this time?”

The Doctor drew in a breath, finally finding that place in his mind where absolute calm resided. He put it into his voice as he spoke softly to her. “I’m not here to berate you, Kari.” He took his hands out of his pockets, letting her see that he held nothing that was a threat to her. “Just here to take you home.”

Her eyes flicked to his hands and back up to his face, a confused frown creasing her brow. “But you _can’t_ be real! _That_ ," she pointed the probe at Jalal, “can't be real!” She waved her hands around them. “None of this is! So stop fucking with me and get it over with!”

He kept his tone quiet and low, trying to keep as much calm in it as possible. “It's alright, Kari.” He took a slow, easy step toward her, as if approaching a frightened animal. “Real or not, you're safe. You're perfectly, completely safe. Just keep your eyes on me.”

Her tone and eyes turned dark as she aimed the probe at him. “Don't. Don't move. Don't come closer. Don't tell me what I am or am not. You know _nothing_!” Anger flashed in her eyes as she slowly moved out from behind the chair, taking a few steps back to widen the gap again. “I haven't been _safe_ the whole fucking time I've been here! Why the hell would I be now? I'm not safe from the guards, from that asshole," she pointed at the window with her free hand before pounding the heel of it against her temple, “or from my own fucking mind! So tell me, _Doctor_ , just how am I so suddenly safe, especially if you're not real?”

He stopped advancing, but kept his hands up so she could see them. “There's no guards, Kari. There's no one watching you but me. There's no more probes, no more pain. Just me. And I can't hurt you.”

She smiled and a semi-hysterical laugh bubbled out of her. “Oh, but can't you, Doctor? I know you, remember. Real or not, you can hurt me. You _have_ hurt me. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you. If that megalomaniac Jaxon didn't have such a score to settle with you, I never would've been taken. Never would've been held prisoner. Never would've had my mind probed looking for information about you. But, yet, here I am, unable to trust my own mind.”

He nodded slowly, never taking his eyes off of her, and took another slight step forward. “Yes. That's real. Hold onto that, Kari, because that's real. And everything before that – your home, your family, your cat...  - that's real too. Do you remember that?”

She rolled her eyes. “Of course I remember that! My memory as a whole hasn't been fucked with, just my perception of what's real and what isn't. And I _know_ all that other shit is real. I fucking lived it! It's whether or not _you’re_ real that I can't trust.” Suddenly realizing he'd advanced on her again, she took a few more steps back, sneering as a low growl rumbled up. “I _said_ don't move, Doctor. Real or not, I know you know what this probe can do. What's it's already done. Do you really want to take the chance of me using it on you?”

“If that's what you feel you have to do, then do it." He took another slow, careful step. “You know me. The _real_ me. You know I'm not armed and you know I won't fight you. If you want my life for what I _really_ did to you when I let them take you, then maybe that's a fair payment.” His eyes never left her as he took another tiny step.

She faltered as she took another step back, the confused frown returning briefly. A certain amount of lucidity seemed to return as she continued to watch him and back away slowly. “Don't you get it? I don't _want_ to kill you, not the real you. I would _never_ do that. Not intentionally, anyway. But if you're _not_ real...” She shook her head, tears welling up as her voice caught in her throat. “Killing you is the only way for me to break out of this mental hell.”

“I'm real, Kari.” He drew in a slow breath, and stepped forward again. She had almost backed herself into the corner, and the distance between them would start to close once she did. “If I wasn't, would I really be willing to risk so much just to help you?” Another step. Another pause. “Please. Let me help you.”

“I want to, Doctor, I do. But how can I? I have no idea what's real and what's not.” With one final step, she reached the corner. Her eyes went wide and body trembled as panic set in again. She tightened her grip on the probe as she cast about her, looking for anyway to escape. “No! No no no no.” The probe hit with a _clank_ as she dropped it to the floor and slid down the wall. Drawing her knees to her chest, she wrapped her arms around them and buried her face. Sobs wracked her body as she rocked. “No more. Please. I can’t take anymore. Just… please take it away.”

He still moved slowly, but more quickly now that she was unarmed. Crossing the last few steps, he kicked the probe away before he knelt beside her and put his arms around her, cradling her against his chest. “Shh... it's okay.” Drawing in a slow, calming breath as she shuddered and sobbed in his arms, he raised one hand to lightly touch his fingers to her temple, never loosening his protective embrace around her shoulders. “It's okay.” He didn't look inside of her mind. He didn't want to see it. He only stepped inside, and flooded it with every ounce of calm he could spare. The darkness closed in, and he stepped back as her body went limp in his arms. She was asleep.

Holding her for a moment more, he moved an arm under her knees and scooped her up, cradling her limp form against him. Turning, his eyebrows went up slightly, surprised to find them alone when Rose and Martha came running in, guards hot on their heels.

“Doctor, we have to go. Now. Kalan has started an uprising and all hell is breaking loose.”

His eyes flicked warily to the guards standing in the doorway. One of them stepped forward and bowed.

“I am Arran, sir. I was part of Jalal’s unit when you were rescued from the elite prison.” He gestured to the other guards. “We all were. We’re sorry for what Jaxon has done to your friend. The least we can do is get you all back to your ship safely.”

Adjusting Kari, he nodded for everyone to go ahead of him. Rose waited at the door, smiling sadly as she brushed her friend’s hair out of her sleeping face.

“She looks so peaceful now.” She looked up at the Doctor as they started down the hallway. “What’d you do?”

“Pushed every ounce of calm I could muster into her mind; no idea how long it’ll last, so we need to get her back to the TARDIS as quickly as possible.”

The next several minutes were a blur of hallways, stairs, and shouting. More than once he had to pull Kari closer to him to prevent smacking her head on a wall or door jamb. He was so focused on her and making sure she didn’t wake up that he was caught by surprise when they reached the TARDIS, and more so by the fact that Kalan was waiting for them.

Stepping forward, he placed a light kiss on Kari’s forehead and laid a necklace across her chest.

“Please tell her she’s forgiven. That I don’t blame her for what she did. And Jalal wouldn’t, either.” He looked up at the Doctor, meeting his eyes with ones full of sadness, pain, and rage. “Tell her I’m sorry I couldn’t save her.”

“I’ll tell her.”

Smiling sadly, Kalan stepped aside so Rose could unlock the door. As soon as she had it open, they rushed in, the Doctor bringing up the tail, slamming the door shut with his foot. Running up the ramp, he stopped, trying to decide if he should put Kari on the floor or jump seat so he could pilot them out of there. Rose put a hand on his arm and smiled.

“Take her to her room. I’ll put us in the Vortex or deep space or something. Just as long as it’s far from here.”

Smiling, he leaned down and kissed her on the forehead. “Thank you.”

Adjusting Kari again, grateful she’d managed to sleep through everything, he headed for her room, a plan already starting to form as to when and where he could take her to get the help she would desperately need.


	21. Chapter 21

Checking she had parked them safely, Rose took a moment to breath. When she did, she realized she was shaking and crying.

“Rose, are you okay?”

She smiled and wiped away the tears. “Yeah, just in shock. All the searching, bouncing around in time and space more than normal, then getting stuck in 1969, and now we finally have Kari back.”

Martha smiled and laid a hand on hers as it rested on the console. “Go to her, Rose.”

Nodding, Rose hugged her, much to the other woman’s surprise. “Thank you, Martha.” Letting her go before she had a chance to respond, she headed for Kari’s room.

It didn’t take her long to reach the door. Taking a deep breath, she placed her hand on it and opened it slowly. She couldn’t help but smile as she walked in and saw Kari sleeping peacefully, one arm wrapped around Paxton. The Doctor gave her a tight smile as he continued his pacing.

“How is she?”

“Hmm? Oh, still sleeping, thankfully. I imagine she’s exhausted. She did get restless when I laid her down, but once her cat got up there with her, she was fine.”

“Good.” Rose moved to sit on the edge of the bed, stroking a hand down Kari’s hair. Tears started to fall again as she took in the cuts and bruises. “How long do you think she was there?”

He finally stopped his pacing and moved to stand behind her. “Twelve hours, maybe. She’s still sunburned and covered in bug bites from the day she was taken.”

She shook her head. “That seems like ages ago!”

“Well it was, for us, anyway.” Bending down, he placed a light kiss on the top of Rose’s head, smoothing her hair with one hand. “I’m going to go make some adjustments and make sure the TARDIS running alright now that we’re not chasing that signal.”

“’Kay. I’m gonna stay here with her for a while.”

He squeezed her shoulder. “I wouldn’t expect anything else.”

Rose continued to watch her friend sleep, wanting so much to tell her everything that had happened since she’d been gone. A smile tugged at her lips when she imagined the look on Kari’s face when she told her what happened in 1969; heard her saying ‘About damn time!’

A flood of tears washed out of Rose’s eyes, dripping on Paxton and garnering Rose a stern glare from the cat. She laughed as she reached for the tissues on the night stand.

“Sorry, princess, but just like you, I’ve missed your mama something awful.”

Wiping the tears away, Rose scratched the cat behind the ear as a peace offering. She’d just settled back on the edge of the bed when the whole place shook, knocking her to the floor. Scrambling back up, she checked to make sure it hadn’t disturbed Kari before rushing to the control room.

As she got closer, she heard the Doctor and Martha arguing.

“…got her back! Shouldn’t you, I don’t know, talk to her about it first?”

“My decision is final, Martha. If you don’t like it, I’m more than happy to take you home, too.”

“What are you two going on about now?”

Martha spun around and stalked up to Rose as she entered. “Do you know what he’s planning on doing with your ‘friend’?”

Rose looked between Martha and the Doctor, who was quite purposefully avoiding looking at her. She shook her head and looked back at Martha.

“He’s planning on dumping her off with someone named Jack. We just landed in Cardiff.”

“Doctor, what is she talking about?” She pushed passed the seething woman and walked up to the console. Placing a hand on the Doctor’s arm, her eyes grew wide when he pulled away from her and still refused to look at her. “Oh my god, you are! You’re dumping her off with Jack!”

“Did someone say my name?”

Rose barely caught Martha by the arm as she stormed toward the man in question. Meeting her glare with a steady gaze, she guided her to the jump seat. “Wait. Just… wait. Let me handle this.” Taking a deep breath, she blew it out slowly before turning back to the Doctor. “Does he know?”

He shook his head, eyes locked on the console. Rose waited a moment for him to offer anything before walking passed him to Jack. She smiled tightly as she hugged him.

He wrapped his arms tight around her. “Rosie, what’s going on? What don’t I know?”

She pulled back, wiping away even more tears. “It seems that the Doctor has done it again.”

“Done what?”

“Made a decision for someone without consulting them. This time, he’s decided that Kari is going to live here in Cardiff with you.”

He raised a brow. “Why? Is she okay? Where is she?”

“No, she’s not okay.” Finally speaking up, the Doctor stood and shoved his hands in his pockets. “She’s suffered severe mental trauma and needs to be in the care of trained and trusted medical professionals. The only ones I trust work for UNIT.”

Before he could elaborate, an alarm went off on the console. He sighed and flipped a switch.

“Kari’s awake and probably incredibly freaked out. Seeing as the last time she saw me, she threatened to kill me, it might be best if someone else checked on her.”

Jack glared at the Doctor. “I’ll go. Where is she?”

The Doctor met his glare. “In her room.”

Nodding, Jack left, followed closely by Martha. Rose watched them leave before turning to the Doctor.

“I know you think this is what’s best for her, and it might be, but the least you could’ve done was talk to her first.”

Studying him for a moment, not expecting an answer, she walked out of the control room, heading nowhere in particular, just as long as it was far away from him.

~*~&~*~

While not awake, Kari was in the throes of a nightmare when Jack got there. Moving to her side, he stroked her hair and did his best to sooth her, trying to ignore the bandages on her hands and stiches on her face. After a few moments, she settled, slipping back into a restful sleep. That is, until Jack moved.

As soon as he stood to take his coat off, she started moaning, face contorting in pain, confusion, anger. He lost count of the emotions she ran through. Quickly tossing his coat on a chair, he sat back down on the edge of the bed and took her hand.

“Shh, Kari, it’s okay. I’m here with you. No one can hurt you.”

He felt the tension leave her as he stroked his thumb over the back of her hand. Settled once again, he tried to pull his hand away only to have her grip onto it. Squeezing back, he left it there as he reached down with the other to unlace and remove his boots. Setting them to the side, he carefully climbed over her, never letting go of her hand. Stretching out, he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her to him. Sighing, she pulled her arms in and nuzzled into him.

Tears pricked his eyes as he kissed the top of her head, rocking her softly.

“I don’t know who did this to you, Kari, but I hope they paid dearly for it.”

He let his eyes slide closed, soothing himself as much as her as he stroked a hand rhythmically down, from the top of her head to the bottom of her spine and back up. Next thing he knew, there was a light knock on the door. Glancing over his shoulder, he tensed and raised a brow as the Doctor slipped in quietly.

“What do you want?”

The Doctor gave a short laugh and sat down in a chair. “You know, it wasn’t that long ago I had a conversation with Martha, in this very room, that started the same way. And I’ll tell you the same thing I told her: to apologize and explain.”

“I’m not the one you need to apologize to.”

“No, she is,” he nodded to Kari. “And I will once she’s awake and coherent enough to know I’m real. But you do need an explanation.”

Jack shifted slightly, repositioning the slumbering Kari so he could better see the Doctor. Once he was comfortable, he nodded. “Go ahead.”

The Doctor sighed. “Kari was kidnapped. They used a mind probe on her. I don’t know the extent of the damage, but I do know she’s become violent and has lost her ability to tell what’s real and what’s not.” Anger and guilt flashed in ancient eyes as they fell on her briefly. “After the Master, fixing her was easy. She had very little mental trauma; everything else was physical. Now…” He shook his head and looked down at his hands. “There’s nothing I can do for her except place her in the care of someone I trust.” When he looked back up, Jack was taken aback by the pleading he found in his eyes. “I trust you, Jack. More than that, _she_ trusts you. I know you can take care of her and get her the best possible care. I’ll do whatever I can to help with the transition. Please…”

Jack watched him for a moment, stricken by the open vulnerability the Time Lord was showing. He couldn’t help but think that something other than Kari’s ordeal had happened since the last time he’d seen them. He nodded slowly.

“Of course I’ll take care of her, Doctor. That was never in question.”

The Doctor nodded and stood. “Thank you.”

“You do realize we can’t do this move until she’s awake and rational enough to understand what’s happening, right?”

“I know. I also know that could be a while. For once, I’m willing to wait.”

Casting another sad glance at Kari, the Doctor left as quietly as he came in. Hugging her tightly to him again, Jack pressed a kiss to her forehead before leaning his cheek against it.

“I swear to you, Kari Maxwell, no one will ever hurt you again. Not as long as I’m alive.”


	22. Chapter 22

Rose didn’t move when she heard the door open and click shut, or look up as he hesitated before walking toward her bed. She shifted over only slightly as he quietly sat on the edge. He was silent but for his breathing; so silent that she almost jumped when he finally spoke.

“I’m sorry, Rose.”

“I know you are.” Wiping away the last of her tears, she rolled over to look at him. “What’s the plan?”

The Doctor shrugged. “Kari’s still sleeping. Jack agreed to take her. As soon as she’s awake and lucid, he’ll explain what’s going on.” He sighed. “Martha just left. Said she wanted to spend time with her family for a bit and clear her head.”

She nodded. “I’m not surprised. Wouldn’t mind popping ‘round to see Mum while we’re here, actually.”

He nodded slowly. “Might be a good idea.”

She chuckled. “Never thought I’d hear _you_ say that.” She raised an eyebrow. “Why's it a good idea?”

He shrugged, keeping his eyes away from her. “Give you some time to think, too.”

"Think about what?"

He shrugged again, then forced a smile. “If there's one place in the universe that can remind you why you came with me in the first place, it's with your mum.”

She laughed. “True, not that I need remindin'. Wait...” What he'd actually said sunk in. She placed her hand on his arm, surprised but not deterred when he flinched. “You don't think I want to leave, do you?”

“I don't know, Rose. I can't even imagine how I'd feel in your place.”

“In my...?” Frowning, she shook her head in confusion. “Doctor, you're not making any sense.”

He forced another smile, and a lighter tone. “Yep. That's me. Never make much sense; you should probably just ignore me.”

Pushing herself up, she knelt on the bed next to him. Gently, she cupped his cheek, turning him to look at her before taking his face in both hands. “Hey, I don't know what all this is about, but I'm not goin' anywhere and I'm certainly not going to start ignoring you.”

He hesitated for a long moment, staring at her with sad eyes. “Maybe you should.”

“What? Ignore you? Like hell! That'd be a sure fire way to get myself killed.” Searching his eyes, she shook her head slowly. “But that's not what you meant, is it?” She worried her bottom lip and frowned. “Do... Do you want me to leave?”

He sighed deeply and shook his head, leaving his eyes closed for a long moment. Finally, he looked back at her. “I've seen people die, Rose. So many people, people who trusted me, traveled with me...  people who counted on me. You just... you accept it. That it's going to happen, sometime to someone... Try to make it easier, convince yourself that they knew the risks, but this...” He shook his head again. “She didn't die. She has to live the rest of her life knowing... things she never would've had to experience if not for me. And in a way, I think... that's got to be so much worse.”

Dropping her hands, she took one of his and turned it over, watching as she traced the lines with the tip of her finger. 

“I can't even begin to imagine everything you've seen and done; all the times and places you've been, the people you've known. I will never truly know the pain and loss you've experienced in your 900 years.” She looked back up, meeting his gaze. “But I do know about the countless planets still in the sky because of you; the people still alive, home with their families. About the joy and happiness you've spread throughout the universe.” 

She squeezed his hand as fresh tears started to trickle down her cheeks. “I hope that I will never know firsthand what Kari went through. What she's still going through. There's no amount of foreknowledge that can prepare you for that. And while, right now, it may seem like death would have been the better option for her, I'm very happy she's still alive. I'll miss her terribly, but it'd be so much worse if she were dead. She's strong. With Jack's help, she can get through this. She _will_ get through this.” She smiled slightly. “We all will.”

He forced a smile back and using his free hand, held the back of her head gently as he pulled her closer. He kissed her forehead, lingering for a long moment with his lips against her warm skin before he pulled her closer, into a tight embrace.

She wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tightly as she buried her face in his neck, placing a light kiss on it. “We're going to be okay.”

“I know.” He massaged her scalp firmly with his fingertips and smiled faintly, sadly. “We're always okay.”

~*~&~*~

Kari hugged Rose tight, burying her face in her hair as even more tears fell. It felt like she’d been crying almost constantly for the last three days and she was surprised she had any left.

Pulling away, the girls laughed as they wiped each other’s tears away.

“I’m going to miss you, Kari. Who am I gonna talk to about clothes and music and boys now?”

Kari rolled her eyes. “You make it sound like we were in high school, Rose.”

“I’m serious!”

“I know.” She smiled and shook her head. “Look, it’s not like I’m not a phone call away, and you’ll have Martha. Plus, we can see each other whenever you two end up in London to help us fight aliens.”

Rose bit her bottom lip. “We do end up back in London quite a bit, don’t we?”

“Ya kinda do.”

Rose’s smile fell and the familiar look of concern took over again. It was something else Kari had seen a lot of the last three days. “You sure this is the right thing for you?”

Kari sighed. “Yes, it is. As terrible as he is at executing these decisions, the Doctor is right. Getting treated here, on Earth, in my time, is really the best way to go. I need something stable that I’m familiar with in order to keep my hold on reality.”

Rose frowned. “But, it’s not your time. Not really. It’s 2008 and we picked you up in 2012.”

“I know, and as long as I don’t go back for a visit in 2008, everything will be fine. The Doctor fixed Jack’s vortex manipulator so he can take me to my time whenever I want, though he did recommend not doing it more than once a month, at least at first.” She took Rose by the arms and tried to give her a reassuring smile. “I’m going to be okay, Rose, I promise.”

New tears started to fall as Rose nodded. “Yeah, I know you will be. We’re always okay.”

A pang shot through Kari’s heart at Rose’s words. She knew where she’d gotten them and it killed her a little that they applied all too well to their entire group. Hugging her again, Kari caught the eyes of the Doctor as he leaned against the TARDIS, more than ready to get going. As she pulled away, she nodded toward him.

“We better finish this up before he decides to leave everyone here.”

Rose laughed as she glanced at him. “Yeah. I’m’a go say goodbye to Jack.”

Nodding, Kari watched her walk away, smiling as the Doctor took her place.

“So, Cardiff, 2008. Think you’ll pick up some Welsh while you’re here?”

She shrugged. “Dunno. Probably. At the very least, I’ll get some delightful new swear words from Gwen and Ianto.”

He rolled his eyes. “Yes, because you need to expand your already colorful vocabulary.”

“Damn straight I do!” She laughed as he shook his head.

A tense silence fell between them. He shoved his hands in his pockets and looked down at his feet as he scuffed the ground with the toe of his trainers.

“I’m sorry, Kari.”

“I know you are, Doctor. You’ve told me several times over the last few days. And I’ve told you it’s okay.”

He looked up at her, a familiar pain in his eyes. “But it’s not okay. It will _never_ be ‘okay’ again.”

She sighed and smiled slightly. “Not as it originally was, no. Just means I have to redefine what ‘okay’ is for me. It will take a lot of time and work and, yes, pain, but I’ll get there. I’ll never be the same person I was, but who wants that, anyway?”

He shook his head. “But you shouldn’t have to go through all of that.” His eyes fell again. “It’s all my fault.”

She clenched her hands in her hair and growled in frustration. She was so sick of this conversation!

“Stop it! Just… stop. Please. For the very last time, it is _not_ your fault. It is Jaxon’s. Period. You are not the one that took me off that planet. You are not the one that kept me prisoner. You are not the one that violated my mind. That’s all on him.” She put a hand up to stop the next part of the argument that was about to come out of his mouth. “And before you say _anything_ about how he did all of those things to get to you and that makes it your fault, I want to ask you something. Did you, in any way, shape, or form, make him hate you? And I don’t mean by way of him creating some sick interpretation of your actions the first time you were there. I mean, did you _ever_ actively make him seek vengeance on you?”

He blinked at her, slightly taken aback and starting to get defensive. “Well, no, but-“

“No ‘buts.’ You can’t control what every lunatic out there thinks and does. If he hadn’t focused on you, he would’ve found some other poor idiot with good intentions to destroy.” She took a deep, calming breath, smiling again as she placed her hands gently on his shoulders. “Please, Doctor, stop blaming yourself for every bad thing that happens just because you happen to be in the same galaxy. Or, at the very least, start taking some damn credit for the good stuff, too. Can you do that? Please? For me.”

He smiled and nodded. “I can do my level best.”

“Thank you.”

Hugging him, she sniffed as more tears came. Seriously, where were they coming from?

“I’m gonna miss you, Time Lord.”

“I’ll miss you, too, human.”


	23. Epilogue

 

**Six Months Later**

Eyes closed, hands resting loosely on her knees, Kari took a deep breath, filling her lungs with the cool sea air. Blowing it out, she opened her eyes slowly, a smile playing at her lips as she sensed she was no longer alone.

“Found my note, I take it.”

“Bit hard to miss ‘Gone to the cliff’ scrawled in black marker on the fridge.”

Her eyes closed again briefly, the smile forming fully as Jack sat down behind her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders and pulling her to him.

“Yes, well, if you’d replace the whiteboard, I wouldn’t have to use the fridge.”

He chuckled as he nuzzled into her hair, placing a soft kiss on her head.

“What? And provide you with yet something else to break over the head of your UNIT psychiatrist. Hardly. And what’s wrong with using pen and paper like a normal person?”

“Are you implying that I’m a normal person, Jack Harkness?”

“No, merely suggesting you occasionally try doing something _like_ one.”

Laughing, she shifted her legs, bending them to the side so she could lean further into him. His arms slipped down, settling around her waist, allowing her to rest her arms on his. Both fell silent, enjoying instead the sound of the waves crashing on the rocks below and their rhythmic breathing.

As soon as it had been deemed safe for Kari to leave the house on her own, she’d started coming to this spot on the cliff in the early mornings. It was quiet and calm, a sensation her mind rarely let her enjoy. If Jack was home, he’d usually join her, sometimes bringing coffee and pastries, and they’d sit like this, silent, watching the sun rise.

Her thumb lazily stroked his arm as she pondered where she’d been and where she was.

“You know, if memory serves, old me is at the coast with some girlfriends right now, eating some amazing seafood, drinking way too much, and setting off Roman candles on the beach.”

Jack hugged her tighter. “That so? Sounds like a fun time to me.”

“Hmm, it was. Well, mostly. Had a bit of a falling out with one of them, never really talked again. It was a shame, really. But,” she gestured to the tattoo on her leg. “I did get this, so not all bad.”

He sighed and was silent a moment, a feeling of unsureness coming from him, which, in and of itself, was an odd sensation.

“Kari, are you happy here?”

She frowned and turned to look up at him. “Of course I am. Why?”

“It’s just… You didn’t exactly get a choice in the matter, did you? The Doctor made it for you and you went along with it. We all did.” He shrugged. “I don’t know. I just wonder sometimes if this was really what was best for you.”

She turned in his arms and cupped his cheek, searching him for a moment. “Of course it’s what was best. I’m getting better, aren’t I? And it’s not like there was an alternative. I couldn’t go home, not in the state I was – I still am – in and I couldn’t stay on the TARDIS. What was he supposed to do? Leave me on some far away planet known for their abilities to repair mental trauma?” She shook her head. “Even if that had been an option, I wouldn’t have gone for it. At least here, I’m surrounded by things that are familiar and I get to see my family fairly frequently.” Smiling, she leaned up and kissed him softly, running her thumb over his lips as she pulled away. “Not to mention I have you to look after me. Much better than some alien on a planet I’ve never heard of.”

He returned her smile and nuzzled into her hand. “So you don’t regret getting stuck with me?”

“Me stuck with you? Sweetie, I do believe it was the other way around! The Doctor basically showed up on your doorstep and said ‘Here, take our mentally challenged friend and find someone to make her better. Oh, you also have to make sure she’s fed, housed, and doesn’t wreak complete and total havoc while she’s healing. Good luck!’” She shook her head again and chuckled. “No, dear, I don’t regret it. Far from it.”

He sighed, a wave of relief coming from him. Bringing a hand up, he tangled it in her hair as he pulled her lips to his, lingering for a moment before pulling away. He nuzzled her as he leaned his forehead against hers.

“I love you, Kari Maxwell.”

“Love you, too, Jack Harkness.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end. My only friends, the end. Of this book and the series. I have one short piece to post, and after that I am moving on. There are other, better stories to tell. Thank you for reading and reviewing. It's been an interesting two and a half years since I started this series. I've grown as a person and a writer. I'm not entirely sure what I'm doing next, but I guarantee it will be an adventure!


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